The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has urged Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and other "sanctuary politicians" not to release Jorge Gilberto Zamorano-Burciaga, an illegal alien from Mexico facing over 20 charges related to child pornography in Franklin County. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer for Zamorano-Burciaga following his arrest on August 12 in Rocky Mount by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
Zamorano-Burciaga is charged with nine counts of possession of child pornography, six counts of producing child pornography with a child less than 15, three counts of reproducing/selling child pornography, two counts of possessing obscene material using minors, and one count of reproducing/transmitting/selling child pornography. His criminal history includes prior arrests in Franklin County for driving while intoxicated and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He illegally entered the U.S. at an unknown date, received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status in 2013, which expired in October 2018.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, "This illegal alien from Mexico has been charged with more than 20 counts related to the possession and distribution of child pornography. ICE is calling on Governor Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this pedophile from jail, and to cooperate with ICE so we can remove him from our country. Governor Spanberger’s sanctuary policies have turned the Commonwealth into a magnet for illegal aliens, putting American lives at risk. Sanctuary politicians must abandon these America Last policies and start putting the American people first again."
The DHS statement criticized Governor Spanberger's executive orders, signed early in her term, which banned state cooperation with ICE and terminated 287(g) agreements. The department asserted that "Under Governor Spanberger, Virginia has become a hotbed for illegal alien crime," citing numerous incidents since May, including other arrests for child sex offenses, murder, rape, abduction, and drug trafficking involving illegal aliens across various Virginia counties.