Republicans on Friday criticized the White House for two statements on the deaths of Rachel Morin and Jocelyn Nungare that did not acknowledge the two were allegedly killed by illegal immigrants.
The statements, issued a few days apart this week, expressed “condolences” to the victims’ families but declined to comment on active law enforcement investigations. In each case, the White House said anyone found guilty of the crimes “should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Earlier this month, authorities arrested Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, 23, a native of El Salvador. entered the US illegally And he’s accused of being behind the murder of Maureen, a 37-year-old mother of five who was brutally raped and murdered near a Maryland hiking trail in August.
“We offer our deepest condolences to Rachel Morin’s family and loved ones,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “We cannot comment on active law enforcement matters. But fundamentally, we believe that if people are found guilty they should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Biden offers ‘condolences’ but no solutions after latest illegal immigrant murder allegation
Victor Hernandez-Martinez is accused of the rape and murder of Rachel Morin on August 5, 2023, in Bel Air, Maryland. (Hartford County Sheriff’s Office/Tulsa Police Department)
In Houston, Jocelyn Nungare, 12 years old Her body was found in a drain on Monday. According to the Houston Police Department, Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, both immigrants from Venezuela, are accused of strangling the girl to death.
“Our condolences are with the family and loved ones of Jocelyn Nungare,” a White House spokesperson told NBC News on Friday.
Joselyn Nungare, 12, was strangled to death in a Houston bay this week. (Fox Houston, courtesy of the Nungare family)
“We cannot comment on active law enforcement matters,” the spokesperson added. “But fundamentally, anyone found guilty of such a heinous and shocking crime must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Republicans criticized the statements, issued days after each case made headlines, and criticized the Biden administration’s border policies.
“Joe Biden is a shameful criminal,” the Trump campaign said on social media on Friday. “These Americans were brutally murdered at the hands of Biden — and because of the evil Biden immigrants he has released into our country.”
Franklin Jose Pena Ramos (left) and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez are charged with the murder of Joselyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas on Monday, June 17. (Harris County Jail)
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said, “Shameful. Innocent people were murdered by illegal immigrants and the @WhiteHouse still refuses to take responsibility.”
“Pathetic,” wrote Kim George, a GOP candidate for Congress in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. “Weak leadership is to blame for these senseless deaths. Nothing can be said to change what happened, but the families deserve better. They deserve #justice.”
Deaths of Morin and Nungare, and alleged murder Laken Riley, a Georgia college student The attack by an illegal immigrant in front of him has fueled GOP attacks on Biden’s immigration policies. The White House and Biden campaign have in turn accused Republicans of weakening border security, as a bipartisan immigration bill failed in the Senate due to GOP opposition. Former President Trump, who is the presumptive Republican nominee, reportedly encouraged his colleagues in the Senate to scuttle the deal.
“Donald Trump is making Americans less safe by blocking the border agreement,” the Biden campaign told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Rachel Morin’s mother: Biden administration ‘does not value life’
Biden speaks to US Customs and Border Protection officers as he visits the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on January 8, 2023. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
However, the GOP-controlled House Committee on Homeland Security released an analysis on Friday pointing to several Biden border policies that they claim allowed these tragedies to happen.
The committee slammed the White House and Department of Homeland Security for reversing several Trump policies, including reinstating catch-and-release and eliminating the requirement that asylum seekers wait in Mexico for their claims to be processed. It also claimed the administration has not requested the necessary funding to increase detention space or use existing space authorized by Congress.
For this Bipartisan Senate agreementHouse Republicans claimed that the House would still have allowed suspected Venezuelan citizens to commit their alleged crimes by permitting them to enter the country if they were among the first 5,000 people arrested on any day prior to the one week of encounters recorded at that stage.
“My heart breaks for these women and their families and loved ones. These tragedies could have been avoided if the Biden administration had enforced the laws they swore to uphold. It really is that simple,” said Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn.
“Americans no longer feel safe in their communities and neighborhoods. This doesn’t have to be the case. Our committee will continue to do everything possible to ensure justice for these victims and to hold accountable the government officials responsible for these tragedies.”
The president, who has faced criticism over his handling of the situation at the border in recent months, has announced a number of executive actions aimed at reforming the US immigration system.
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The most recent move, which was announced on Tuesday and offers a path to legal status for about half a million illegal spouses and family members of US citizens, has been criticized by critics who argue it will encourage more illegal border crossings.
“The president may think the security of our homeland is some kind of game he can use for political gain, but Americans know this amnesty plan will only encourage more illegal immigration and put Americans at risk,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said after Biden’s announcement.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee, Louis Casciano, Bill Melugin and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
