On Thursday, Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin criticized the Biden-Harris administration after it was revealed that a man arrested in the state for allegedly chaining up children inside a home is a previously deported illegal immigrant.
Franklin Viera Guevara, a 29-year-old native of El Salvador, was arrested last month in Fairfax County, Virginia. He faces charges of child neglect, child cruelty, and abduction. Police discovered two boys, ages 7 and 9, chained up in the home of Guevara’s girlfriend, 47-year-old Wedni Del Cid Rodriguez, who is the boys’ mother.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Guevara was deported in 2019 under the Trump administration but re-entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date.
“Another despicable crime committed by an illegal immigrant who is not supposed to be here. Too many innocent Virginians have suffered under the open border policies of the Biden-Harris Administration. Local officials in Fairfax County must uphold their duty to cooperate with ICE and keep Virginians safe. Enough is enough,” Youngkin wrote on X in response to the news. “Prosecute this criminal to the fullest extent of the law and deport him.”
Another despicable crime committed by an illegal immigrant who is not supposed to be here. Too many innocent Virginians have suffered under the open border policies of the Biden-Harris Administration. Local officials in Fairfax County must uphold their duty to cooperate with ICE… https://t.co/OIUlGCeIjz
— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) September 5, 2024
The illegal immigrant suspect in the case is currently being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond, according to Fox 5 D.C.
Guevara and his girlfriend Rodriguez allegedly told officers that they kept the children chained up to “scare them” and prevent them from leaving the apartment. Guevara also reportedly stated that the couple would leave the young boys alone, chained in the apartment.
Court documents reveal that one of the boys managed to use a phone to send a photo of his chained ankle to his sister, who then called the police.
Rodriguez was also arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect, two counts of child cruelty, and two counts of abduction. She was released on bond following her arrest.
Last month, an illegal immigrant from Bolivia, who had been apprehended at the southern border and subsequently released, was arrested in Virginia. He faces seven counts of possession of child pornography and possession of obscene material with a minor, according to Fox News.
“Virginia is not a sanctuary state,” the governor wrote in a separate post. “It is unacceptable that local officials refuse to cooperate with ICE in holding illegal immigrants accountable. They are neglecting their duty to serve and protect Virginians and putting our entire Commonwealth at risk.”
Virginia is not a sanctuary state.
It is unacceptable that local officials refuse to cooperate with ICE in holding illegal immigrants accountable. They are neglecting their duty to serve and protect Virginians and putting our entire Commonwealth at risk. https://t.co/d8qhRl5DT7
— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) September 5, 2024
Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) identified 36-year-old Jose Fabricio Veizaga-Vargas as a convicted offender who had previously victimized a minor in Northern Virginia.
Veizaga-Vargas was sentenced to six months in prison after his conviction, but his sentence was suspended. ERO reported that after the suspension of his sentence, the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center declined to honor an ICE detainer request and released him from custody.
New: I asked Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin about the sanctuary policies the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, and Sheriff Stacey Kincaid have enacted for illegal immigrants.
“Fairfax County needs to get its act together,” Youngkin told… pic.twitter.com/Qo3j2QOOK6
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) August 1, 2024
