U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with Middle River Regional Jail for Freddi Chigo Mil, who was arrested after two women were stabbed in Staunton, Virginia, on August 30. Mil has been charged with second-degree murder and malicious wounding, while the Department of Homeland Security is urging Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger to ensure that he is not released before ICE can take custody.
According to local reporting cited by DHS, Staunton police responding to a 911 call found two female stabbing victims. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was transported to a local hospital in stable condition. Police arrested Mil at the scene, and ICE lodged its detainer the same day.
DHS identified Mil as a Mexican national who entered the United States illegally at an unknown date and location. The department said it wants him transferred to immigration custody for removal after he faces justice in the criminal case. The source did not provide information about a plea, court schedule or final determination of the charges.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin linked the case to Spanberger’s immigration policies, asserting that limits on state cooperation with ICE contribute to preventable crimes. DHS said Spanberger signed executive orders during her first days in office that banned state cooperation with ICE and terminated state and local agreements under the federal 287(g) program.
The DHS statement also cited a series of other Virginia cases from February through August in which ICE lodged detainers or made arrests involving noncitizens accused or convicted of offenses including murder, sexual offenses, abduction and assault. Those examples were presented by the department to support its criticism of Virginia’s policies; they do not establish the outcome of Mil’s pending criminal case.