The chairman of the Homeland Security Committee has claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris‘ immigration policies have led to the murder of a young student.
Gerber Luis Sanchez-Centeno, 23, is accused of killing his grilfriend, Dania Cruz-Mejia, 18, on September 18. ICE officers had placed a GPS tag on the suspect and released him into the community, but by August 8, authorities stopped their supervision after he absconded.
Rep. Mark Green has now accused the Biden-Harris administration of being responsible for the killing.
A Republican lawmaker has delivered a scathing critique of Vice President Kamala Harris, holding her responsible after a migrant, who entered the country illegally and was released by border agents, before he allegedly murdered his girlfriend weeks later.
AP
“The tragic, entirely preventable murder of Dania Cruz-Mejia by an illegal alien was a direct result of the Biden-Harris administration’s policy of mass catch-and-release.
“President Biden and his ‘border czar’ Vice President Harris have not only released millions of illegal aliens into the interior but have also limited ICE’s ability to enforce long-standing immigration laws, including those governing the detention and removal of illegal aliens.
“Sadly, many innocent people, like Ms. Cruz-Mejia, have died as a result. In Biden and Harris’ America, we are all less safe. That fact won’t change until we enforce our laws and secure the border,” he told Newsweek.
Newsweek has contacted the Harris campaign and the White House for comment.
Gerber Luis Sanchez-Centeno (left) is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Dania Cruz-Mejia (right), in Montgomery County, Maryland on Sept. 18, 2024. The Salvadoran had entered the U.S. illegally in June.
Montgomery County Police Department/Family handout
Cruz-Mejia’s sister, Maria, previously told Newsweek of her sadness at the death of her sibling.
“She was a happy girl. She was always very positive about any challenges, problems that she endured.
“When they told me, it was the saddest day. Dania was one of the people I most loved in my life,” she said.
The Montgomery County Police Department said the victim’s family found her body at her home in Montgomery Village.
According to a GoFundMe set up to support the victim’s family, Sanchez-Centeno joined Cruz-Mejia in Maryland just ten days before her death.
ERO Baltimore Spokesperson James Covington told Newsweek: “Gerber Luis Sanchez-Centeno is an unlawfully present 23-year-old Salvadoran national.
“U.S. Border Patrol apprehended Sanchez June 2 after he unlawfully entered the United States near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Later that day, ERO El Paso placed Sanchez into the Alternatives to Detention program with a GPS monitor.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement building is seen in Washington, D.C. May 09, 2019. ICE is launching its Citizens Academy focused on its ERO unit in September.
EVA HAMBACH/AFP/Getty
“ERO El Paso terminated Sanchez from ATD Aug. 8, as he absconded from the program.
“The Montgomery County Police Department arrested Sanchez Sept. 20 and charged him with the murder of his girlfriend. Sanchez remains in the custody of authorities in Montgomery County, Maryland.
“ERO Baltimore lodged an immigration detainer against Sanchez Sept 23, 2024, with the Montgomery County Detention Center.”
ICE’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program ensures noncitizens comply with release conditions while remaining in their communities.
It comes after Harris visited the southern border for the first time as the Democratic candidate in an effort to project a tougher stance on illegal migration and address one of her biggest political vulnerabilities.
A recent poll by Redfield and Wilton Strategies showed that 47 percent of respondents trust Trump on immigration compared to 36 percent who trust Harris. However that gap appears to be have begun closing in recent weeks, with border crossings falling in the wake of President Joe Biden‘s sweeping executive order limiting asylum claims.
Harris’ more conservative approach to securing the border reflects Democrats‘ belief that they can continue to narrow that gap.
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