A Guatemalan national charged with second-degree murder in Fairfax County, Virginia, had completely evaded federal immigration authorities before his arrest, raising urgent questions about border security and sanctuary policies as ICE demands state officials keep him locked up.

Stabbing Suspect Never Encountered by DHS

Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, 38, faces second-degree murder charges after police responded to a fatal stabbing Sunday night in Fairfax County. Officers found a man inside a residence with multiple stab wounds to the upper body. Despite immediate life-saving efforts by police and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personnel, the victim died at a nearby hospital. Chavarria Muy fled before officers arrived, but was later located in a vehicle and arrested without incident.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement sources confirmed Chavarria Muy has no alien registration number, meaning the Department of Homeland Security had never previously encountered him. Authorities believe he entered the United States illegally as a gotaway at an unknown time and location. ICE has lodged a detainer with Fairfax County, requesting officials not release him from custody. The suspect and victim were known to each other, according to police investigators from the Major Crimes Bureau.

Sanctuary Policies Under Fire

Democratic Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order restricting cooperation between state and local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. The policy reversed former Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s approach that encouraged such coordination. DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis directly called on Spanberger and Virginia sanctuary politicians to prevent Chavarria Muy’s release, warning that open-border policies have caused another preventable tragedy. Federal officials cite past instances where local authorities declined to honor ICE detainers.

Second Fatal Stabbing in One Month

The incident follows another deadly stabbing just one month earlier when Stephanie Minter was killed at a bus stop in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Authorities charged Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old Sierra Leone native, in that murder. According to DHS records, Jalloh had been arrested more than 30 times before the attack, with previous charges including rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, and trespassing. Prosecutors dropped prior charges, allowing him to remain free. The back-to-back murders have intensified scrutiny of Virginia’s immigration enforcement policies and their impact on public safety.