Deep in the heart of Texas last Friday, a tragic tale of failed immigration enforcement and violent crime came to an end on a dusty highway. But not before claiming another innocent life.
Savin Seng, a 41-year-old Cambodian national and known gang member, was apprehended by Victoria County Sheriff’s deputies while casually strolling down a Texas highway, armed with a loaded pistol. The arrest closed a dark chapter that began in California and left two Americans dead in its wake.
Like a tumbleweed gathering darkness as it rolls across the land, Seng’s path of violence started at a North Hills strip club in California, where he allegedly gunned down 20-year-old Gabriel Isiguzo in 2022. Witnesses described the killing as “unprovoked,” stemming from a dispute over a handicapped parking space.
But the story doesn’t end there, folks. While authorities searched for Seng in connection with Isiguzo’s murder, he made his way to Texas, where 47-year-old Charminy Lewis became his second alleged victim last week.
When questioned about the weapon in his possession, Seng, who goes by the street name “Two-Face,” offered up what might charitably be called a tall tale: “The gun fell from the sky and I picked it up.” He also admitted membership in the Asian Boyz gang, a criminal organization that took root in Southern California during the 1980s.
Here’s where the story takes a turn that might make your blood run cold. Seng, who legally entered the United States in 1984, was ordered deported in April 2016. Despite being in ICE custody, bureaucratic red tape and the Cambodian government’s refusal to accept their own citizen left American authorities with no choice but to release him.
His criminal record reads like a greatest hits album nobody wants to hear: multiple burglary convictions, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, illegal firearm possession, and domestic violence.
Law enforcement officials expressed both relief at Seng’s capture and frustration at the system that allowed him to remain in the country. “Within just 36 hours, the law enforcement community in Southeast Texas banded together leveraging our various resources to successfully locate him and safely take him into custody before he could harm anyone else,” said one federal agent involved in the case.
This story serves as a stark reminder of the real-world consequences when immigration enforcement falls short. While politicians debate policy in Washington, communities across America bear the burden of these failures.
For the families of Gabriel Isiguzo and Charminy Lewis, statistics and policy debates offer little comfort. Their loved ones represent more than just data points in an ongoing national conversation – they are the human cost of a system that too often fails to protect the very people it serves.
That’s the way it is – a story of tragedy, justice, and the long road ahead in fixing a broken system.
