The 12-year-old girl’s death in Texas intensifies the Trump-Biden immigration argument

The 12-year-old girl's death in Texas intensifies the Trump-Biden immigration argument
Houston Police Department

Following the discovery that two defendants in a capital murder case were undocumented immigrants, the 12-year-old girl’s killing in Houston prompted a response from the White House and the Biden campaign on Friday.

The Houston Police Department reports that Jocelyn Nungaray was found strangled to death on Monday in a small creek.

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“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jocelyn Nungaray’s family and loved ones,” a White House spokesman stated.

The spokesman went on, “We cannot comment on ongoing law enforcement cases.” “But essentially, to the fullest extent of the law, anyone found guilty of this kind of horrific and shocking crime deserves to be held accountable.”

Franklin Pena, 26, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, have been detained and accused of killing her.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement had placed holds on the two men’s immigration violations according to their court documents. Martinez and Pena both entered the country unlawfully, according to an ICE official. Martinez was detained by the U.S. Border Patrol on March 14 in the vicinity of El Paso, Texas. He was given a notice to appear and freed on an order of recognizance that same day. On May 28, Pena was captured by Border Patrol in the vicinity of El Paso. He was given a notice to appear the same day he was arrested and released on an order of recognizance.

When they traveled to Houston is unknown.

Prior to the November election, voters’ top concerns have shifted to immigration and border security, prompting the White House’s response. According to an April NBC News poll, 22% of registered voters deemed immigration and the border crisis to be the most significant national issues.

Nungaray’s death is being attributed by former president Donald Trump to the border policy of the Biden administration. “We have a new Biden Migrant Killing, and Crooked Joe Biden is solely to blame for it. It will only get worse” he declared on Truth Social on Thursday.

In retaliation, the Biden team highlighted Trump’s involvement in derailing a bipartisan border agreement in Congress.

Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt stated, “By obstructing the border agreement, Donald Trump is reducing the safety of Americans.”

According to an analysis of municipal data by NBC News, big cities like Chicago, New York municipal, and Washington, D.C. that have seen the greatest influx of Texans have seen a decline in overall crime rates.

Even though studies have indicated that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than citizens of the United States, Nungaray’s killing is the most recent suspected high-profile crime committed by migrants, sparking political controversy.

A few days ago, an undocumented immigrant in New York City was taken into custody and accused of raping a thirteen-year-old girl in broad daylight. Rachel Morin was a Maryland mother of five who was accused of being killed by another.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, the man accused of killing Laken Riley, was previously detained after entering the country illegally.

In his campaign for the presidency, Trump has brought up Riley’s passing, and Biden called Ibarra “an illegal” in his State of the Union speech—a description he later acknowledged he regretted using.

Trump has also brought attention to Ruby Garcia’s case, in which an undocumented immigrant is accused of killing her. Garcia’s sister refuted the allegation that he communicated with Garcia’s family, which he made during a campaign event in April.

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