Murder of 12-year-old in Houston at center of Trump-Biden immigration debate | Texas

(The Center Square) – The killing of a 12-year-old girl in Houston by two Venezuelan men who entered the country illegally and were freed by Border Patrol agents has made national and international news with the White House and former President Donald Trump speaking out ahead of Thursday night’s first presidential debate.

In providing an update on the case Thursday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, a Democrat, said According to NBC News Channel 2, the perpetrators “should never have been released” into the country. Instead of being removed, federal agents gave them ankle monitors, which Ogg said gives “the public a false sense of security.”

On June 17, Jocelyn Nungaray’s body was found in a bayou under a bridge north of Houston. The cause of death was strangulation, but his body was found bound, unclothed down to the waist. Forensic evidence has not yet confirmed whether she was sexually assaulted, Ogg said last week. An aggressive investigation by multiple agencies allowed law enforcement to locate and arrest his alleged killers — 22- and 26-year-old Venezuelans who were in the country illegally — three days later.

They both “illegally entered the United States without inspection, parole or admission by a U.S. immigration officer at an unknown date and at an unknown location,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement.

Both men were apprehended by Border Patrol agents near El Paso, one in March, the other in May. They were both released the same day as their arrest, on recognizance orders with “summons” to appear before an immigration judge at a later date, according to ICE.

They are currently in pretrial detention and are being held at the Harris County Jail on $10 million bail each.

As the investigation continues, Ogg said the Venezuelan government is “not cooperating with the U.S. government at this time,” refusing to provide information about their background or criminal history. Because they entered the country illegally, they risk fleeing, she said.

“The biggest problem is our immigration system, the border that has been broken for decades,” she continued. “What’s different is we’re seeing people from other countries coming into the country illegally in recent years under the Biden administration,” she said. They come not only from Mexico, but “from China, the islands, South America, like these individuals. It’s new. And I think that increases the risk factor for ordinary people here. »

She also addressed the Biden administration’s “catch and release” policy, first implemented by the Obama administration and discontinued by Trump. Instead of processing inadmissible illegal aliens for deportation, Border Patrol agents were ordered to release them into the United States with “notice to appear” documents to appear before an immigration judge in court years later, The Center Square reported.

They are also given ankle monitors and cell phones so federal agents can track and locate them. But authorities found that phones had been thrown away and ankle monitors were turned off, as was the case in Houston.

“These two men were both in ICE custody and they had ankle monitors,” Ogg said. “One of them cut it off. Ankle monitors give the public a false sense of security. We don’t trust them as prosecutors because we see too many problems with people who are supposed to be under surveillance and aren’t. And that’s the case with these two men.”

“They should never have been released when they crossed the border in El Paso. But our system is failing, and Jocelyn’s death is the result. And it’s very hard when you know that something could have been avoided. Like the death of a child. It’s still horrible. But this one in particular was so brutal, this little girl endured it. What ? No. No one should have to endure this. »

In response to Jocelyn’s killing, Trump said on Truth Social: “We are seeing another massacre of migrants perpetrated by Biden. It’s only going to get worse, and it’s all the fault of dishonest Joe Biden. It’s a shame for the presidential office, it’s a shame for America. I look forward to seeing him at the mock debate on Thursday. Let him explain why he allowed MILLIONS of people to enter our country illegally! »

In response, Biden campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said, “Donald Trump is making Americans less safe by blocking the border deal.” The administration blamed Trump for the failure of a Senate border bill that Senate Democrats voted against even bringing to a hearing, The Center Square reported.

The alleged Venezuelan perpetrators were among millions of people who entered the country illegally and are barred from entry by law, but were apprehended by Border Patrol agents and released into the country, or were granted entry under new parole programs, all created by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Alexander Mayorkas.