California Grants Early Release to Illegal Immigrant Who Killed Two Americans

By Kenneth Schrupp | The Center Square

(Worthy News) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s parole board has granted early release to an illegal immigrant convicted of killing two Americans.

Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano was convicted of killing two Southern California teens while he was drunk, high and speeding over 100 miles per hour. He is set to be released three years into his 10-year sentence.

Federal officials have since placed a detainer on the convict to prevent his release back into the public. They have said they are prosecuting Ortega-Anguiano with charges that could send him to federal prison for up to 20 years.

Fox News immigration correspondent Bill Melugin reported on the pending release of Ortega-Anguiano, who was convicted in 2022 for gross vehicular manslaughter for killing two U.S. citizens in Seal Beach: the American 19-year-olds, Anya Varfolomeev and Nikolay Osokin, who were dating, burned to death after Ortega-Anguinano crashed into them.

Ortega-Anguinano had a lengthy rap sheet, including multiple felony convictions, time in state prison and “multiple convictions for driving without a license.”

On Easter Sunday, the California Department of Corrections notified the teens’ parents that Ortega-Anguiano would be released in July, just three and a half years into his 10-year sentence.

“Twice deported illegal alien from Mexico, Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano, is serving time after being convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, which resulted in the deaths of an American couple. His previous criminal convictions include burglary in 2005, vehicle theft in 2007, and battery on a spouse with kidnapping in 2014,” announced the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “After serving just three years of a 10-year sentence, [ICE] has placed a detainer with the California Department of Corrections upon his release.”

However, because California often does not comply with ICE detainers, and in many cases, the state’s sanctuary laws prevent ICE from being notified of the imminent release of illegal immigrant convicts, the teens’ families fear Ortega-Anguiano may still end up back in the United States.

“They hope the CA Dept. of Corrections will honor the detainer request and transfer him to their custody upon his release, which they often do,” wrote Melugin, who spoke to the teens’ families. “But the families fear, even if he is deported, he will just re-enter the US as a gotaway, as he’s done twice before.”

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli has since announced he is prosecuting Ortega-Anguiano under federal felony immigration charges.

“My office has filed a felony immigration charge against this defendant. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted for 8 USC 1326,” said Essayli. “If the State of California will not seek the full measure of justice against this individual, the [U.S. Department of Justice] will.”

Reprinted with permission from The Center Square.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

More Worthy News

Israel Moves Forward With New International Airport in the Negev
Israel Moves Forward With New International Airport in the Negev
Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Israel will build its supplementary international airport at Ziklag in the northern Negev, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Wednesday, ending years of debate over the location of a second major aviation hub.

U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Collapse Amid Disputes Over Format, Venue, and Rising Tensions
U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Collapse Amid Disputes Over Format, Venue, and Rising Tensions
Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Planned nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran unraveled this week after Tehran demanded changes to both the format and location of the talks, U.S. and regional officials said. The meetings, initially set for Friday in Turkey, were called off after Washington rejected Iran’s insistence on moving the venue to Oman and limiting discussions to the nuclear file alone.

U.S. Moves to Build Allied Critical Minerals Bloc to Counter China
U.S. Moves to Build Allied Critical Minerals Bloc to Counter China
Wednesday, February 4, 2026

The United States has agreed to work with Japan, Mexico and the European Union to secure supply chains for critical minerals vital to defense, energy and advanced manufacturing, the Trump administration announced Wednesday.

Authorities Probe Suspected Biolab With Alleged China Ties Found in Las Vegas Home
Authorities Probe Suspected Biolab With Alleged China Ties Found in Las Vegas Home
Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Authorities are investigating a suspected biological laboratory discovered inside a Las Vegas residence, with potential links to a previously uncovered unauthorized lab in California.

Homan Declares Success in Minnesota Immigration Surge as 700 Federal Officers Withdraw
Homan Declares Success in Minnesota Immigration Surge as 700 Federal Officers Withdraw
Wednesday, February 4, 2026

White House border czar Tom Homan announced a partial drawdown of federal immigration personnel in Minnesota, saying the move reflects “unprecedented cooperation” from local communities and state authorities following weeks of unrest tied to immigration enforcement operations.

High-Stakes Peace Talks Begin Today in Abu Dhabi as Trump-Led Diplomacy Tests Path to Ending Ukraine War
High-Stakes Peace Talks Begin Today in Abu Dhabi as Trump-Led Diplomacy Tests Path to Ending Ukraine War
Wednesday, February 4, 2026

U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian diplomats convened this week in Abu Dhabi for a second round of trilateral peace talks aimed at ending Moscow’s four-year war against Kyiv, marking a rare continuation of direct negotiations between the two sides.

Pakistan Court Gives Christian Girl, 12, to Muslim ‘Husband’
Pakistan Court Gives Christian Girl, 12, to Muslim ‘Husband’
Wednesday, February 4, 2026

In one of its first closely watched cases, Pakistan’s newly established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) ruled that an underage Christian girl should remain with her “Muslim husband” despite concerns about her age and religious rights, Christians confirmed to Worthy News on Wednesday.