Yet another deadly reminder of what “sanctuary” policies really protect — and it’s not law-abiding citizens.
Authorities in Fairfax County, Virginia, released an illegal immigrant from jail, ignored a federal immigration detainer, and within 24 hours, a man was dead. The suspect, Salvadoran national Marvin Morales-Ortez, 23, allegedly shot and killed a man inside a home in Reston on Wednesday — just one day after sanctuary officials let him walk free.
According to federal law enforcement sources, Morales-Ortez illegally crossed the southern border in 2016. Border Patrol agents were preparing to deport him and his mother, but both claimed fear of returning to El Salvador. In 2022, an immigration judge dismissed his deportation case altogether, allowing him to remain in the United States without legal status. Problem solved — until it wasn’t.
Morales-Ortez has also been identified as a suspected member of the notoriously violent MS-13 gang, according to ABC7. And this wasn’t his first encounter with law enforcement. Starting in 2019, he appeared on authorities’ radar at least six times for alleged crimes ranging from assault to murder.
In 2021, he was charged with first-degree murder and spent a year and a half behind bars awaiting trial. Those charges were eventually dropped after investigators concluded he wasn’t involved, and another individual was convicted. Morales-Ortez was later found guilty in a theft case and fined $300 — a fine he never paid. Accountability, sanctuary-style.
Most recently, Morales-Ortez was charged with brandishing a firearm and assaulting and injuring another person. But once again, the system blinked. The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office dropped the case after the victim informed police they were out of the country and unwilling to testify.
“Sadly, without the victim’s necessary testimony, we could not move forward with the case,” the office explained.
Shortly after his release, Fairfax County Police attempted to take Morales-Ortez back into custody using an Emergency Custody Order. Officers were dispatched to his listed address but failed to locate him within the eight-hour legal window. The order expired. Authorities later captured him after a lengthy manhunt — but only after a man had been murdered.
Fairfax County has long operated as a sanctuary jurisdiction, routinely releasing illegal immigrants without notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. In this case, federal immigration authorities were ignored, warning signs were brushed aside, and the predictable result followed.
This tragedy didn’t happen because of a lack of laws — it happened because of a refusal to enforce them.
The silver lining is clear: the suspect is now in custody, the truth is exposed, and Americans are once again seeing the real-world consequences of reckless sanctuary policies. President Trump has been right all along — public safety starts with enforcing the law, securing the border, and putting citizens first. And the growing demand for that common-sense approach is a hopeful sign that change is coming.
