A controversial decision by California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has reignited national debate over immigration enforcement and sentencing reform. The department has approved the early release—six years before the end of his term—of a man convicted of killing two young Americans in a high-speed, alcohol-fueled crash.
Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was sentenced to a decade in prison in 2022 after being found guilty of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The charges stemmed from a deadly 2021 crash on the 405 freeway in Orange County, where Ortega-Anguiano, then 43, drove at nearly 100 mph while severely drunk, slamming into a vehicle and killing 19-year-old Anya Varfolomeeva and her boyfriend, Nicholay Osokin.
The crash was so violent that Anya, described by her family as a bright, promising young woman, was tragically burned alive inside the vehicle. The early parole decision, which allows Ortega-Anguiano to walk free after serving just a third of his sentence, has drawn public backlash and a strong response from former acting ICE director Tom Homan.
“This is beyond infuriating,” Homan said in a public statement. “Two lives, full of promise, ended in a senseless, preventable tragedy—and now the man responsible, who’s already been deported multiple times, is being let go early? It’s a disgrace.”
Homan vowed swift action, promising that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be waiting to take custody of Ortega-Anguiano the moment he walks out of prison.
“We’ll be there,” Homan confirmed. “If California won’t honor the ICE detainer, we’ll have agents ready outside that facility. This man has re-entered the country illegally more than once. That’s a felony. We will prosecute, and we will deport.”
ICE records show Ortega-Anguiano has a lengthy criminal history, including previous convictions for burglary (2005), vehicle theft (2007), and battery with kidnapping (2014). His deportation history and repeat criminal offenses have intensified criticism over his early release.
Anatoly Varfolomeeva, father of Anya, expressed deep frustration: “Two incredible young people—gone. And now this man walks free? He’s been deported twice already. What’s to stop him from coming back again?”
Homan, reflecting on his years of advocacy for victims’ families, shared how cases like this continue to fuel his passion: “People ask why I get emotional on TV or during testimony. It’s because I’ve looked into the eyes of parents who’ve lost everything. I carry their stories with me.”
As public pressure mounts, all eyes are now on what actions ICE and federal authorities will take following Ortega-Anguiano’s release—and whether California’s parole decision will spark broader policy changes.
