Houston 12-year-old’s killing becomes focus of immigration debate as 2 undocumented migrants are charged with capital murder
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Two undocumented Venezuelan men have been charged with capital murder in the killing this month of a 12-year-old girl in Houston, the latest case to underscore the pivotal role immigration continues to play in US politics and the upcoming presidential election.
Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, were arrested June 20, three days after the strangled body of Jocelyn Nungaray was found in a shallow creek, according to the Houston Police Department.
A judge this week ordered each man held on a $10 million bond, court records show.
Both men are Venezuelan nationals who entered the US illegally, a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement told CNN. It’s unclear when and where they entered the country, the spokesperson said, but each was apprehended near El Paso by US Border Patrol – Martinez-Rangel on March 14 and Peña Ramos on May 28 – and released with a notice to appear in court in the future.
An attorney for Peña Ramos declined to comment. An attorney for Martinez-Rangel did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Republicans and right-wing media have pointed to the case as a consequence of the immigration policies of President Joe Biden’s administration as they seek to draw a contrast with his rival, former President Donald Trump.
“That little girl would be alive today if Biden enforced immigration laws at the border,” GOP Gov. Greg Abbott said on X following the suspects’ arrests.
Trump, who will face Biden Thursday in CNN’s Presidential Debate, has echoed as much, saying in a speech over the weekend both suspects “would not have been in our country” if he were president, despite the fact similar crimes occurred during his time in office. He also pointed to the cases of two women who authorities say were killed in the past year by men who crossed into the country illegally: Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and Maryland mother Rachel Morin .
Asked Wednesday about the cases, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “Our hearts are with the families of the victims.”
“The criminals who committed these heinous acts must be held responsible with the fullest force of the law,” he told CNN’s Kate Bolduan. “We will hold the criminals accountable.”
Make any reasonable comment. I'm not afraid of disagreement and won't erase arguments I can't rebut. No need to hide behind a moderator here.
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12 year old jocelyn Nungaray is just one of many girls and women who would be alive to day if Biden and Harris had enforced immigration laws. Their intentional acts to open the border kill American women, and men. There's no denying that their policies would inevitably lead to preventable deaths..[✘]
yes, the democrats have spent this century fighting tougher immigration enforcement because they want little girls to inevitably die. That's your logic, right? Let's apply the same standards across the board:
Lax enforcement means criminals will enter the country and be protected from deportation by Democrats.
Those criminals will inevitable murder a lot of people.
Therefore Democrats cause suffering and death and are proud of it.
On the left of the blue box is the illegal border crossings in Obamas second term and on the right is illegal border crossings in the Trump term.
We dont see a whole of difference other than 2019.
No, Sean, that's what you're claiming. Odd that you'd put YOUR words in MY mouth.
I know you'd like to ignore that there were illegal border crossings under an ineffectual Republican President whose party controlled both houses of Congress during his first two years in office, but there were, and some of those who crossed illegally committed crimes.
Maybe if we'd built a wall, and Mexico had paid for it...
By YOUR logic, which you dishonestly attribute to ME, Republicans must wanted little girls to inevitably die.
“Therefore Democrats cause suffering and death and are proud of it.”
Read these words.
‘Proud’ to own them?
If so, shame on you.
Just trying to fit in with the rhetoric of the left.
“Just trying to fit in with the rhetoric of the left.”
Lame…more just parroting the vitriol…
Just applying the logic I see from the left. Trying to be bipartisan.
Republicans have never controlled 60 votes in the Senate, unlike the Democrats. And Democrats have fought tooth and nail to make it easy for illegals to enter the country. Biden literally invited them in....
aybe if we'd built a wall, and Mexico had paid for it...
Or Democrats had supported it.
Anti-enforcement Democrats support letting illegals in and oppose deporting illegal aliens who commit crimes. This isn't debatable. That means women and men will inevitably die at their hands as we've seen play out time and time again. Since anti-enforcement Democrats refuse to even bother to try and stop illegal immigration, they must want these deaths.
Hopefully, those who practice it will see how stupid it looks when used against them and it will cause them to think twice.
That's the optimist in me talking.
here is the full chart
Statistics on unauthorized US immigration and US border crossings by year
One thing we can see on this chart is that every one of Obamas years were lower in border crossings than EVERY ONE of the years when Reagan Bush I and Bush II were president. All 8 of Obama's 8 years , individually, had less border crossings than any of 20 years when the three Republicans before Trump was president. And similar to trumps years.
all 8 of obamas years had less border crossings than all 8 of bush II 's years.
According to the former 'president' traitor - the numbers go up as he speaks - he starts at 2 million and ends up at 21 million, all on Biden's watch. Jon Stewart did an absolutely hilarious segment on it recently.
Some folks just say 'prove it' constantly while never proving any of their claims themselves.
No, you're attempting NOT to apply the rules you'd impose on the left to the right, specifically to Trump.
You saying it's not debatable doesn't make it so.
You know, it strikes me as a bit humorous that you have to limit yourself to talking about this century. Presumably, you are aware that Reagan signed amnesty for illegal immigrants into law, and that it was conservatives at the time who were opposed to sanctions on employers who hired illegal immigrants.
Now, though, you want to hold Dems (and only Dems) accountable for illegal immigration, while constantly defending a President who has hired illegal immigrants himself, but scapegoats illegal immigrants. Hell, he married a foreign-born porn model who worked here illegally early in her career, then brought her parents here via chain migration, but when it was politically expedient, he denounced such practices (ignoring his own engagement in them).
You absolutely are NOT trying to be bipartisan, and that claim is laughably false.
First, why do you think pointing out that illegal aliens were let into the country and protected by Democrats during Trump's presidency is relevant to this discussion?
Second, even more baffling, Biden/Harris has allowed more illegal aliens into the country in four years than entered during Obama's and Trump's first terms combined. They've literally flown about a million inadmissible aliens into the interior of the country for free. Why can't you just admit the obvious, that Border Czar Harris and her party have embraced open borders to an extent undreamed of before they were sworn in?
And didn't a piece of shit democrat promise to secure the border and never again bring forth any amnesty for this action? of course this same democrat didn't care about murdering a woman which is exactly Seans point. when will democrats care more about protecting woman than murdering illegals
I'm simply copying absurd left wing arguments. If you can't follow that, there's nothing more I can do.
You saying it's not debatable doesn't make it so.
Correct. Reality does. If you want to pretend to live in a world where biden didn't invite illegal aliens to enter the country, where democrats don't support sanctuary cities and oppose deporting criminal illegal aliens etc,,etc there's nothing I can do.
It's really amazing how embarrassed Democrats appear to be about their own immigration polices. Just straight up denial or "but Trump"
Presumably, you are aware that Reagan signed amnesty for illegal immigrants into law,
Yeah, he was bamboozled by a promise that Democrats would support border security in exchange for amnesty. He trusted the democrats and the country paid for it. And over this century the parties have sorted on the issue. Republicans who support open borders have changed parties and become Democrats.
continued taunting and inflamatory generalizations
You know, I thought I was being too obvious. But nope, it still worked.
Amazing how simply taking a progressive's words from a post upvoted by moderators and using those same words against progressives results in me being censored. Every single time.
No. You're very obviously doing your best to exempt Trump and Republicans from the judgement you heap on Dems. That's the very opposite of bipartisanship, and everyone here knows it.
you are the one who said that throughout this century democrats have worked for lax borders. evidently you really mean within the last couple years.
you want to narrow the time frame down? Ok , narrow it down to just this year, the year is almost over so that is a fair thing to do.
To whom are you referring, George?
Unless she was killed by one of the 2 million or so that entered when Trump was president.