California authorities released an illegal immigrant who went on to kill six farmworkers in a DUI crash, The Daily Wire has learned.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with California authorities in 2024, asking them to hand over the Mexican illegal immigrant Beto Cerillo-Bialva, 49, before he was released for his third DUI arrest, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire.
But that request was ignored. Cerillo-Bialva was released, only to go on to allegedly commit his fourth DUI in Napa County, where he drunkenly drove into a tree, killing six passengers and severely injuring another.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said sanctuary laws are to blame for the fatal crash.
“This serial criminal killed six innocent souls. Governor Newsom has blood on his hands. This serial criminal should have never been released by California authorities,” McLaughlin said.
“Sanctuary policies protect the WORST OF THE WORST criminal illegal aliens ICE will do everything in our power to remove this serial drunk driver, abuser, and drug user from our country,” she added.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office hit back at the Trump administration, placing the blame on the feds.
“It’s clear that this is an attempt to distract from the truth,” said Diana Crofts-Pelayo, Newsom’s deputy director of communications, according to KTVU.
Federal authorities have deported Cerillo-Bialva seven times, according to DHS. He also has a criminal history that includes possession of cocaine, three DUIs, driving without a license, and violating a court-ordered restraining order.
“This individual re-entered the country several times under the federal government’s watch. Trump and Miller have little interest in public safety or protecting farmworkers,” said Crofts-Pelayo.
The victims of the crash were identified as Loreto Ricardo Hernandez, 42; Fernando Silverio, 34; Araon Ruiz Ruiz, 39; Beymar Reynosa Rodriguez, 32; Demetrio Celerino Francisco, 39; and Pedro Lopez Gomez, 57, according to KTVU.
California became a sanctuary state in 2018, preventing local authorities from assisting ICE and keeping them out of local jails.
In an effort to carry out its mass deportation campaign in sanctuary states, the Trump administration has worked to obtain federal warrants when making immigration arrests. The warrants are a loophole in the sanctuary laws, allowing ICE agents into jails when they obtain such charges, as they escalate immigration cases from civil to criminal.
The charges are often for illegal entry or reentry after deportation.