A man deported three times was set free, and now three people are dead.\n\n### Police say state laws stopped them from handing over a murder suspect to federal agents one year before the killings.\n\nWhen a system meant to protect people fails, the cost is often measured in lives that can never be replaced. This is the story of a small town, a tiny baby, and a law that some say went too far.\n\nPolice in Modesto, California, just arrested a man for a terrible crime. They say he used a knife to kill two women and a three-month-old baby girl. This man was not a stranger to the law.\n\nRecords show he had been kicked out of the country three times before. Just one year ago, he was in a local jail. Federal agents wanted to take him, but local police had to let him go because of state sanctuary laws.\n\n### What the evidence shows\n\n* 3 victims: two adult women and one 3-month-old baby girl.\n* 3 times the suspect had been deported from the U.S. before.\n* 1 year ago: The suspect was in local custody for other crimes.\n* 1 knife: The weapon police say was used in the attack.\n* 0: The number of times local police were allowed to call federal agents about him last year.\n\n### The Bigger Question\n\nWe have to ask if these laws are doing what they promised. They were built to make sure people aren't afraid to talk to the police. But did they create a gap where a dangerous person could hide?\n\nIs it fair to keep a law in place when it stops police from flagging someone with a long history of breaking the rules? We need to figure out how to keep communities safe without losing the trust of the people who live there.\n\n### The Other Side\n\nPeople who support sanctuary laws say they are vital. They argue that if immigrants fear the police, they won't report crimes or help as witnesses. They believe one violent case should not ruin a policy that protects thousands of innocent people. Based on the facts, this argument is hard for the victims' families to hear when the suspect had already been deported three times.\n\n### What Happens Now\n\nThis case is already starting a big fight in California. Lawmakers are being asked to change the rules so police can work with federal agents on violent cases. For the people in Modesto, the focus is on a grieving family and a community that feels let down by the system.\n\n### What We Still Don't Know\n\n1. How did the suspect get back into the country after being deported three times?\n2. Did local police try to find other ways to warn the public about his history?\n3. What led to such a violent attack on a defenseless infant?\n\nSource Note: Information for this story came from the New York Post. All charges are allegations - the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Published: May 30, 2026. No major post-publication update has been logged.