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WASHINGTON – Alexis Nungaray shared horrifying details of her 12-year-old daughter Jocelyn’s murder Tuesday, calling for lawmakers to address illegal immigration as she testified before Congress.
Two Venezuelan immigrants, who authorities say were in the country illegally, were charged with murder in Jocelyn’s death in June in Houston.
Nungaray described Jocelyn as a “spunky, quirky, funny, beautiful” young lady who dreamed of becoming a famous actress. A large photo of Jocelyn with her 12th birthday cake was displayed at the front of the hearing room.
“She was an innocent kid doing kid things. She did not deserve to have her life ripped away from her and her family,” Nungaray said. “She had her entire life ahead of her. Because of these open border policies, I’ll never get to see her start high school, go off to prom, walk down the aisle, get married, or have her own kids or ever reach her full dreams.”
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House Judiciary Committee Republicans called Tuesday’s hearing to highlight the impact of crimes committed by people who were in the United States illegally, which they say reflect the failures of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
Republicans have hammered the administration over its border and immigration policies, and the criticism is a central issue for former President Donald Trump as he seeks to return to the White House.
GOP committee members repeatedly sought to blame Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ presidential nominee, for the situation at the southern border.
“If you think things are bad right now, if Kamala Harris, our border czar, is back in office after Nov. 5, we will continue to have these hearings,” said U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston.
Nungaray was among several witnesses who offered emotional accounts of heartbreak after loved ones died from fentanyl poisoning or were allegedly killed by undocumented immigrants.
Nungaray recounted how she told her daughter she loved her before going to sleep. She woke the next morning to find her missing.
Jocelyn had snuck out during the night for a soda run to a corner store. Video footage showed two men walking with her to a nearby bridge, then emerging without her about two hours later, Nungaray said.
Jocelyn was found in the shallow creek under the bridge, strangled. She had no clothing from the waist down, her hands and ankles tied, Nungaray said.
“They saw a young girl, my daughter Jocelyn, and placed a target on her without her even knowing,” Nungaray said. “I can’t even fathom what was going through Jocelyn’s mind, the amount of fear she was feeling in the last moments of her life.”
The two charged had been enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security’s alternative to detention program, she said.
She highlighted legislation she’s worked on with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, that would prohibit releases under the program unless every detention bed was occupied. If every bed is taken, Homeland Security would have to exhaust “all reasonable efforts” to keep them in custody.
Cruz cited Jocelyn’s murder in a speech at the Republican National Convention focused on crimes committed by those in the country illegally.
He has made illegal immigration a core part of his reelection campaign, saying challenger U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, has resisted Republican proposals to secure the border. Allred has responded by saying Cruz has blocked bipartisan compromises on immigration that would have improved conditions at the border.
Witness Melissa Lopez, executive director of Estrella del Paso, which provides free immigration legal services, warned about demonizing immigrants. She cited the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso by a gunman who was driven by anti-immigrant sentiment.
“In my experience, immigrants come to the United States to contribute in positive ways,” she said. “They make our communities more vibrant by sharing their culture, language and traditions.”
Several Democrats on the committee offered condolences to the grieving families and said they want to find a bipartisan solution to the country’s broken immigration system.
They blamed Republicans for rejecting a bipartisan compromise and said they are exploiting the pain of victims for political gain.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, praised the witnesses’ courage and said there is no one more interested in reforming the country’s outdated immigration laws than people like her who live along the border.
Escobar pointed to legislation she introduced with Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., that included resources for securing the border and a pathway to citizenship for those who meet certain requirements.
Escobar said eight Republicans have backed the bill but other Republicans have stopped it from moving.
“We have colleagues who are exploiting people’s pain for political purposes,” Escobar said. “Unfortunately that’s what’s happening today.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asked each witness if they felt exploited. All said no.
“I do not feel exploited,” Nungaray said. “I simply want to raise awareness that we need change, and my daughter’s voice and her memory should not get lost in that.”