She left a 5-year-old.
Santa Clara refused
the ICE detainer.
Twice.
Kembery Chirinos-Flores was 24 years old — a single mother in Sunnyvale, California, raising her 5-year-old son. The man alleged to have shot her, Jonathan Castillo-Romero, had been arrested in Santa Clara County twice before on domestic violence charges. Both times, ICE issued a detainer. Both times, Santa Clara County refused. He was never deported. In January 2026, Chirinos-Flores was killed. On March 30, 2026, DHS publicly named Santa Clara County.
She was raising a son on her own.
Kembery Chirinos-Flores was 24 years old and a single mother. Her 5-year-old son depended on her entirely. She lived in Sunnyvale — a city in Santa Clara County, one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, governed by officials who made a deliberate policy choice to protect undocumented immigrants from federal immigration enforcement, regardless of their criminal history.
That choice had consequences. The man who allegedly shot her had been flagged by ICE twice — both times after domestic violence arrests in Santa Clara County. Both times, the county sent him back onto the street rather than hand him to federal immigration officers. He was never removed from the country.
What the cameras captured.
ICE asked. Santa Clara said no. Both times.
Jonathan Castillo-Romero was arrested in Santa Clara County on domestic violence charges on two separate occasions. Both times, federal immigration officials recognized him as a removable alien and issued detainers — formal requests asking the county to hold him so ICE could take custody and begin removal proceedings.
Both times, Santa Clara County declined. Not because there was a legal obstacle that prevented them — but because the county had adopted a sanctuary policy, consistent with California’s SB 54 (California Values Act), that prohibits honoring ICE civil detainers. The county made a choice. The choice kept Castillo-Romero in the community. The community paid.
- →Arrested for domestic violence
- →ICE issued a civil immigration detainer
- →Santa Clara County refused under SB 54
- →Released. Not removed. Not deported.
- →Arrested again for domestic violence
- →ICE issued a second civil detainer
- →Santa Clara County refused again
- →Released again. Still not deported.
“Santa Clara County had two opportunities to remove this man from the community. They chose their sanctuary policy over the safety of residents. Kembery Chirinos-Flores paid for that choice with her life.”
DHS Statement — March 30, 2026 · Department of Homeland Security
Every step. Every decision that led here.
The policy has authors. Their names are on the record.
Sheriff Jonsen oversees the Santa Clara County jails where Castillo-Romero was held following both domestic violence arrests. The sheriff's office is responsible for the jail's detainer policy. Under county policy consistent with California's SB 54, both ICE detainers were declined on Jonsen's watch. DHS named Santa Clara County specifically on March 30, 2026.
District Attorney Rosen is responsible for prosecutorial decisions in Santa Clara County. Rosen's office handled both prior domestic violence cases against Castillo-Romero. A consistent pattern of soft prosecution on DV charges followed by non-cooperation with ICE is documented in the county's declined detainer records.
The Board of Supervisors sets county-wide policy, including the sanctuary policies that governs the sheriff's refusal to honor ICE detainers. The Board has consistently defended and extended Santa Clara County's sanctuary framework. The policy that kept Castillo-Romero in the community is the Board's policy.
Governor Newsom signed and has aggressively defended SB 54 (California Values Act), the statewide law that provides the legal architecture for Santa Clara County's refusal to honor ICE detainers. SB 54 prohibits California law enforcement from using state or local resources to assist with civil immigration enforcement, including detaining individuals on ICE holds.
SB 54 didn’t slip through. Newsom signed it. Twice.
California’s SB 54 — the California Values Act — was signed into law in 2017 and has been extended and defended by Governor Newsom throughout his tenure. It prohibits state and local law enforcement from using state or local resources to assist with civil federal immigration enforcement, including the honoring of ICE detainers.
The law does not carve out exceptions for individuals with domestic violence histories, prior criminal arrests, or active federal immigration holds. When Santa Clara County received the ICE detainers on Castillo-Romero — twice — state law was the framework that made refusal the default. The county complied with the state’s directive. The state’s directive cost Kembery Chirinos-Flores her life.
- →Prohibits California law enforcement from honoring ICE civil detainers
- →Bars the use of state and local resources for civil immigration enforcement
- →Prevents sharing inmates' release dates with federal immigration officials
- →Covers all California jurisdictions — state, county, and municipal
- →Applies regardless of prior criminal arrests or domestic violence history
- →Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom (D) — defended against federal challenges
Named. By DHS. On the record. March 30.
On March 30, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security issued a public statement naming Santa Clara County and documenting its refusal to honor both ICE detainers on Castillo-Romero. The statement linked the county’s sanctuary policy directly to the murder of Kembery Chirinos-Flores in January 2026.
The March 30 statement is part of a documented series of DHS releases naming specific sanctuary jurisdictions in connection with crimes committed by individuals whom ICE had attempted to detain. Santa Clara County joins a list that includes Cook County (Illinois), Fairfax County (Virginia), and New York City.