After a 71-year-old California man was killed in a hit-and-run allegedly involving an undocumented immigrant driving under the influence, the Trump-era Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sharply criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sanctuary policies.
According to a DHS statement, Humberto Munoz-Gatica, 57, a Mexican national, was impaired when he struck Barry William Tutt in Orange County last Friday. Authorities say Munoz-Gatica fled the scene but was later located and arrested with help from witnesses. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department reported that Tutt was found severely injured, transported to a hospital, and later died from his injuries.
DHS said it has requested that Munoz-Gatica be held and transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On X, the agency asked: “How many Americans must be killed before @GavinNewsom’s sanctuary state of California works with federal law enforcement—instead of against them?”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin argued that California’s refusal to cooperate with ICE puts residents at risk, calling the fatal crash “yet another example of sanctuary and open border policies putting American lives at risk.”
A spokesperson for Newsom, Brandon Richards, disputed the criticism in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying: “Despite the Trump Admin’s repeated false claims, California cooperates with the federal government when it comes to criminals — as has been reported by Fox regularly.”
DHS says Munoz-Gatica has a prior conviction for grand theft and overstayed a tourist visa that expired in 2008. He was detained by ICE in 2011 under the Obama administration but later released. DHS wrote: “This criminal illegal alien from Mexico, Humberto Munoz-Gatica, was released by the Obama Administration. He NEVER should have been here.”
Newsom, considered a likely 2028 presidential contender, has frequently criticized the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement and ICE operations.
During widespread anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles in June, Newsom issued a statement condemning what he called “continued chaotic federal sweeps, across California, to meet an arbitrary arrest quota.” He described the operations as “reckless” and “cruel,” arguing that the administration’s actions were “eroding trust, tearing families apart, and undermining the workers and industries that power America’s economy.”
