A Mexican national accused of murdering his own two children in a small Wisconsin town last week has been identified by police as an illegal immigrant. 

Law enforcement arrested 29-year-old Victor Manuel Gomez Acosta last Friday over the killings and the stabbing of his wife in Abbotsford, which has a population of about 2,300. Police have not identified the victims. 

Police say that he stabbed the children to death and attacked his wife while she was sleeping. Gomez Acosta faces two charges of first-degree intentional homicide and one charge of attempted homicide.  He is being held on $1 million bail.

Colby-Abbotsford Police Department Police Chief Alex Bowman told Just the News that Gomez Acosta entered the U.S. on a six-month work permit but overstayed the legal amount of time he was allowed to work. 

The stabbing attack happened early in the morning on July 5. Gomez Acosta’s wife called the police just before 2:00 a.m. 

The Clark County Sheriff’s Department and the Colby-Abbotsford Police Department responded to the crime scene. They arrested Gomez Acosta at the home and told officers he had been attacked by “crazy guys,” according to police. Police said the suspect had self-inflicted stab wounds. His wife required surgery after being stabbed about 17 times, according to local reports.

Authorities said that they have not yet determined a motive. Gomez Acosta had previously been arrested multiple times for driving while intoxicated or being impaired. 

Chief Bowman told Just the News that ICE had become less active in the past four years. 

“Prior to 2020, it was a lot easier to work with ICE and immigration and now their hands are tied on a lot of things,” he said. “I can tell you that even felons we’ve arrested for felony crimes and stuff, immigration still hasn’t come and gotten them.”

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“I used to see immigration [officials] all the time over here,” he said. “Now, I haven’t heard from ICE in four years. It’s terrible.”

He added that illegal immigrants would frequently be released “back into society” after serving time for their crimes. 

Illegal immigration has been a major issue in the 2024 presidential election, with former President Donald Trump drawing attention to a series of violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants during the Biden administration.