President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said he’ll work with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to arrest an illegal immigrant set to be released by the California Department of Corrections six years before his sentence expires.
The immigrant, Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano, was convicted of killing two American teenagers in a drunk driving crash.
“I will work with [Homeland Security] Secretary Noem on this case, and I guarantee you, if they don’t honor the detainer, we’ll have ICE agents outside that facility to take custody of this individual and deport him,” Homan told Fox News.
Ortega-Anguiano was drunk driving at a high speed in 2021 when he crashed into another car, killing 19-year-olds Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin. California officials decided that Ortega-Anguiano should be released despite being convicted of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2022.
The Trump administration filed federal charges against Ortega-Anguiano shortly after Homan’s comments.
“My office has filed a felony immigration charge against this defendant. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted for 8 USC 1326. If the State of California will not seek the full measure of justice against this individual, the [DOJ] will,” Bill Essayli, United States Attorney for the Central District of California, posted on X.
Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded justice for the teenagers who were killed in a post on X.
“This is absolutely unconscionable. What about Justice for these teens? What about the rights of their parents? [The DOJ] will work with ICE to make sure this illegal alien receives full punishment for his crimes,” Bondi wrote.
Homan said Ortega-Anguiano is a felon who has been deported several times.
“Everybody asks why I get so emotional on network TV, why I get emotional when I testify,” Homan said. “I’ve met hundreds of angel moms and dads and hear every story. I’ll never forget any of those stories. It’s just a tragedy.”
The families of the teenagers both told Fox News that they want to see Ortega-Anguiano stay in prison.
“It’s disgusting. You have two young, unbelievable future, productive American citizens killed for nothing, and that illegal immigrant who already has been deported twice is going to be released again? For what? If even he is deported, he will come back,” Anatoly Varfolomeev, Anya’s father, told Fox News in an interview.
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Nicholay Osokin’s father added that he hopes Ortega-Anguiano gets “old in prison” and is eventually “kicked out” of the U.S.
“Three years for killing two kids! It’s confusing to me. Why you give them 10 if they’re gonna spend five, and then three? Give them three in the beginning, at least we know what to expect. It’s sort of spitting in my face,” he said.
