The White House and Biden campaign responded Friday to the death of a 12-year-old girl in Houston after two suspects accused of capital murder were found undocumented migrants.
Jocelyn Nungaray was discovered Monday in a shallow creek after being strangled to death, according to the Houston Police Department.
A White House spokesperson said: “Our hearts are with Jocelyn Nungaray’s family and loved ones.”
“We cannot comment on active law enforcement cases,” the spokesperson continued. “But fundamentally, anyone found guilty of this type of heinous and shocking crime must be held accountable, to the fullest extent of the law.”
Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin Pena, 26, were arrested and charged with her murder.
Both men had immigration violation records from Immigration and Customs Enforcement on their court records. According to an ICE spokesperson, Martinez and Pena crossed the border illegally, and on March 14, Martinez was detained by the U.S. Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas. That same day, he was released on bail with a notice to appear. Pena was detained by the Border Patrol on May 28 near El Paso. He was released on bail orders with a notice to appear on the same day he was arrested.
It’s unclear when they headed to Houston.
The White House’s response comes as immigration and border security become a major issue for voters preparing for the November elections. One NBC News Poll de Abril found that 22% of registered voters said immigration and the situation at the border were the most important issue facing the country.
Former president donald trump is blaming the Biden administration’s border policies for Nungaray’s death. On Thursday, he said on Truth Social that “we have a new Biden migrant killing – it’s only going to get worse and it’s all Crooked Joe Biden’s fault.”
Biden’s campaign reacted, pointing to Trump’s role in the wreck a bipartisan border agreement in Congress.
“Donald Trump is making Americans less safe by blocking the border agreement,” said Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for the Biden campaign.
One NBC News review of city data shows that overall crime levels are falling in major cities that received the most Texas migrants, including Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.
Nungaray’s death is the latest suspected high-profile crime committed by migrants, which has led to political storms even as studies have shown that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born citizens.
A few days ago, an undocumented immigrant was arrested and charged with rape a 13 year old girl in broad daylight in New York City. Another was accused of killing Rachel Morinmother of five from Maryland.
The man accused of Laken Riley’s murder, José Antonio Ibarrawas previously arrested after Crossing the border to the USA
Trump has invoked RileyBiden’s death in his campaign for the White House, and Biden referred to Ibarra as “an illegal” during his State of the Union address, a term he later said sorry using.
Trump also highlighted the case of Ruby Garcia, who was allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant. He said during a campaign event in April that he spoke with Garcia’s family, a Garcia claim‘the sister denied.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
