“Sanctuary state” laws kill innocent people. The latest apparent victims are two women and an infant brutally stabbed to death in Modesto, California.

The alleged murder, Joaquin Escoto, 28, had already been deported from the U.S. three times.

He came back — and chose to live in California, because he knew he would find “sanctuary.”

His victims would not. And now their families have to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton said incumbent Gavin Newsom has “blood on his hands.” 

Strong words, but it is hard to disagree.

Newsom has defended “sanctuary state” laws by claiming that they still allow California to work with ICE when it comes to “people convicted of, or who are facing, credible charges around violent or serious felonies or other crimes that threaten public safety.”

The alleged killer, Escoto, had been arrested twice for driving under the influence (DUI). That can be a deadly crime, but it is not enough to qualify as “violent” under California’s system.

So when ICE asked San Joaquin County to be notified when Escoto was due to be released, the county had to refuse. 

Newsom’s insane position ignores the fact that people who commit violent crimes have often committed other crimes before.

Not everyone who has a DUI becomes a murderer, of course. But if someone has already broken the law (four times) to enter the country illegally, and they commit another crime (twice),  that ought to be a a big enough red flag. 

And so, in the name of “compassion” toward illegal immigrants, three innocent people — including a baby — are dead.

Their murders were entirely avoidable.

Newsom won’t apologize to the victims. But he should. And as he gears up to run for president, he should be asked about the crimes, at every single campaign stop, from New Hampshire to South Carolina.

The only caveat is that Newsom shares the blame with his entire party, which is lockstep behind his refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. 

Every single Democrat running for governor is vowing to strengthen the state’s fight against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some are even promising to arrest ICE agents, though they have no authority to do so under the Constitution.

It is time for the insanity to end. Deporting illegal immigrants who commit crimes is the obvious and right thing to do.

Stop fighting ICE, and start protecting California.