President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan directly blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom for the death of a 68-year-old Bay Area man, fatally stabbed by an illegal immigrant who was released from jail just one day before the brutal attack despite federal deportation requests.
Deadly Attack After Jail Release
Todd Stewart, a 68-year-old retiree from Martinez, was stabbed to death on his front lawn last week in an attack captured on surveillance video. The suspect, 36-year-old Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who also holds Spanish citizenship, allegedly launched the vicious knife assault after pulling up in a Cadillac SUV. The video shows the two men struggling on a sidewalk between parked cars before Stewart fell to the ground, where the stabbing continued as he screamed in agony.
Police confirmed there was no known connection between the victim and his alleged killer. Iriarte-Valdez had been released from jail the day before the attack by a Newsom-appointed judge, despite violating terms of his home detention related to a residential burglary case. The suspect, who has been in the United States since 2007, now faces murder charges and is being held on $1.1 million bail.
Federal Immigration Detainer Ignored
Homan told Fox & Friends that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had done their job properly by issuing a detainer request for Iriarte-Valdez while he was in custody. The border czar emphasized that California’s sanctuary laws do not prohibit local officials from simply notifying federal authorities before releasing detained illegal immigrants. He said a simple phone call could have prevented the tragedy without holding the suspect any longer than normal.
The suspect’s criminal history includes an October 2025 arrest in Contra Costa County for driving under the influence and a hit-and-run causing property damage. Despite this record and his illegal immigration status, local authorities released him without contacting ICE. Homan stated the elderly man’s death resulted from California putting politics and hatred of President Trump above public safety.
Battle Over Sanctuary Policies
Newsom’s office rejected blame for the killing, insisting that California takes public safety seriously and that nothing in state law prevents federal authorities from enforcing immigration law. A spokesperson said the federal government has billions of dollars and substantial resources to do their job instead of blaming California for ICE enforcement failures. The governor’s office added that Iriarte-Valdez should face justice for the alleged crime.
Homan criticized this response, pointing to hundreds of similar cases over the past decade in sanctuary jurisdictions. He argued that California’s political culture discourages cooperation with federal immigration authorities, creating preventable tragedies. The border czar insisted that sanctuary city designations prioritize political ideology over protecting American citizens from criminal illegal immigrants who should have been deported.