Republicans on Friday slammed two White House statements about the deaths of Rachel Morin and Jocelyn Nungarei for failing to acknowledge that both women were allegedly killed by illegal immigrants.
In statements issued several days apart this week, the White House offered its “condolences” to the victims’ families but declined to comment on the ongoing law enforcement investigations. In both cases, the White House said those found guilty of crimes “must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Earlier this month, authorities arrested Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, 23, of El Salvador. Entered the U.S. illegally He is suspected of being involved in the murder of Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five who was found raped and murdered near a hiking trail in Maryland in August.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Rachel Maureen,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “We cannot comment on ongoing law enforcement cases. But fundamentally, we believe that anyone found guilty should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Biden expresses ‘condolences’ to suspected murderer of illegal immigrant, but offers no solutions
Victor Hernandez Martinez is accused of raping and murdering Rachel Morin on Aug. 5, 2023, in Bel Air, Maryland. (Hartford County Sheriff’s Office/Tulsa Police Department)
In Houston, the body of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was found in a creek on Monday. Venezuelan immigrants Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, are accused of strangling the girl, according to Houston police.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Jocelyn Nangaray,” a White House spokesperson told NBC News on Friday.
This week, 12-year-old Jocelyn Nangaray was found strangled to death in a creek in Houston. (Courtesy of Fox Houston and the Nungarei Family)
“We cannot comment on ongoing law enforcement cases,” the spokesperson continued, “but fundamentally, anyone found guilty of these types of heinous and shocking crimes should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Republicans slammed the statements, which came days after each incident was reported, and criticized the Biden administration’s border policies.
“Evil Joe Biden is a disgrace,” the Trump campaign said on social media on Friday. “These brutal murders of Americans are the fault of Biden and the evil Biden immigrants he sent into our country.”
Maryland Democrat mourns mother allegedly killed by illegal immigrant but supports Biden’s border orders
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos (left) and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez are charged with murdering Jocelyn Nungaray on Monday, June 17, in Houston, Texas. (Harris County Jail)
“It’s shameful,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama. “Innocent people have been killed by illegal immigrants and the White House still refuses to accept responsibility.”
“It’s sad,” wrote Kim George, Republican congressional candidate for Arizona’s 1st district. “These senseless deaths are the result of poor leadership. We can’t change what happened, but the families deserve better. They deserve justice.”
The deaths of Maureen and Nungarei, and the earlier alleged murder of Georgia college student Laken Riley by an undocumented immigrant, have intensified Republican attacks on Biden’s immigration policies. The White House and Biden campaign have accused Republicans of weakening border security after a bipartisan immigration bill died in the Senate over Republican opposition. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, has reportedly urged his Senate allies to kill the bill.
“Donald Trump is endangering the safety of the American people by blocking a border agreement,” the Biden campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Rachel Morin’s mother: Biden administration ‘doesn’t value life’
Biden visits the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on January 8, 2023, and speaks with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
But the Republican-controlled House Homeland Security Committee released an analysis Friday pointing to several Biden administration border policies that it says contributed to these tragedies happening.
The committee criticized the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for reversing many of Trump’s policies, including reinstating capture-and-release policies and eliminating the requirement that asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their claims are processed. It also argued that the administration has not requested funding to expand detention space or use existing space authorized by Congress.
House Republicans argued that the bipartisan Senate agreement still allows Venezuelan nationals to commit their alleged crimes by allowing them to enter the country if they are among the first 5,000 people they come into contact with on a given day before that level of contact is recorded for a week.
“My heart aches for these women, their families and loved ones. These tragedies could have been avoided if the Biden administration had simply enforced the laws it swore to uphold. That’s all there is to it,” said Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.).
“Americans no longer feel safe in their communities and neighborhoods. It doesn’t have to be this way. This committee will continue to do all it can to ensure justice for the victims and accountability for the public officials who are ultimately responsible for these tragedies.”
Following criticism over his handling of the border situation in recent months, the president has announced several executive orders aimed at reforming America’s immigration system.
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The latest measures, announced Tuesday, offer a path to legal status for about half a million undocumented spouses and family members of U.S. citizens, but have been panned by critics who say they will encourage more people to cross the border illegally.
“The president may see our homeland security as a game he can play to score political points, but Americans know this amnesty plan will only encourage more illegal immigration and put Americans at risk,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said after Biden’s announcement.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee, Louis Casiano, Bill Melgin and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
