DHS Urges California to Hand Over Murder Suspect

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is pressing California to transfer custody of Venezuelan immigrant Marcos Iriarte-Valdez. He is accused of murdering Todd Stewart, a 68-year-old retiree, in the Bay Area. A local judge released Iriarte-Valdez, who had a criminal history, just a day before the alleged murder took place.

Iriarte-Valdez was facing charges for several burglaries in Contra Costa County, east of San Francisco. Despite these charges, a judge decided he should be released. The DHS had placed an immigration detainer on Iriarte-Valdez on September 23, 2025, but he remained free.

The DHS stated that “Valdezuper” faces multiple charges including murder, domestic violence, and multiple burglary offenses. He has a protective order violation on his record as well.

Iriarte-Valdez is accused of killing Stewart during an attempted burglary. He reportedly fled the scene after confronting Stewart in his garage. Contra Costa prosecutors previously charged him with burglaries in occupied residences, and he was on pretrial release at the time of the recent incident.

The DHS condemned sanctuary city policies that prevent cooperation with ICE, stating that such policies jeopardize public safety. The department advocated for the arrest of criminal illegal aliens through detainers, pointing out that some of the safest U.S. cities work with ICE.

Local authorities had released Iriarte-Valdez after his initial arrest, leading to criticism over public safety. Fox News Digital contacted the Martinez Police Department and other officials for comments. Meanwhile, Iriarte-Valdez remains in custody, awaiting his next court appearance without bail.

Fox News Digital also reached out for comments from California Governor Gavin Newsom concerning the DHS’s demands.