DHS slams California ‘sanctuary’ county after mom allegedly murdered by 2 Honduran nationals

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) slammed a California county for not honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests for two illegal aliens accused of murdering a 24-year-old mother earlier this month. 

Franquin Inestroza-Martinez, a Honduran national, and Gerzon Jose Chirinos-Munguia, also of Honduras, were arrested in Santa Clara County for allegedly killing Kembery Chirinos-Flores with a shotgun in early January. 

Chirinos-Munguia is the father of Chirinos-Flores’ 5-year-old son, and was previously arrested in 2018 for battery and false imprisonment, and subsequently in 2019 for domestic battery and threatening crime with the intent of terrorizing, DHS said.

He was released back into California without ICE being notified in both 2018 and 2019, according to DHS.

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“A man lost his life, and a child is now without a mother. These illegal aliens should have never been able to commit these horrific killings and must NEVER be released from jail into American communities,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Inestroza-Martinez, the alleged accomplice of the boy’s father, also had an outstanding arrest warrant from New Jersey for the homicide of a 55-year-old in March 2025, according to DHS.

DHS said he was deported from the U.S. in 2013, then again in 2018. He illegally re-entered the country at an unknown date and time before allegedly murdering both the man in New Jersey and Chirinos-Flores.

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DHS pointed to the California Value Act (CVA), a “sanctuary” law which prohibits local police from asking suspects about immigration status and limits cooperation between federal immigration agents and local authorities. 

“Instead of cooperating with ICE, Santa Clara sanctuary politicians REFUSED to honor ICE’s arrest detainer and will not notify ICE when these murderers are released from jail,” Bis added. “This insanity of refusing to turn cold-blooded killers over to ICE must end.”

The CVA was signed into law in 2017 in response to the immigration efforts of President Donald Trump during his first term.

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The Trump administration sued California over the law throughout 2017-18, though the suit was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The suit failed again during appeal and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2020. 

CBS News reported that the child was not harmed in the incident and has since been placed in the custody of child protective services.

“Kembery was in the prime of her life. She was working two jobs, and she was the loving mother of a 5-year-old son,” Santa Clara Department of Public Safety Chief Dan Pistor said at a press briefing following the arrests.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Board President of Santa Clara County but did not receive a response. 

The Santa Clara County Board president did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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