Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas on Tuesday blasted Attorney General Merrick Garland, saying illegal immigrants are killing Americans under President Joe Biden’s administration.
The Department of Justice Lawsuit filed He voiced opposition to three Republican-backed states, including Texas, for passing laws that give police the power to enforce immigration restrictions. At a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Roy asked Rep. Garland whether Texas has a right to protect itself from illegal immigrants, especially in light of the murders allegedly committed by illegal immigrants, showing photos of the victims. (Related article: ‘Exploitable loophole’: Biden administration’s latest plan for migrant surge could have unintended consequences)
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“There are a few here, but I want to confirm who they are,” Roy said. “In the bottom corner of the picture is a woman named Lizbeth Medina. She was found dead in a bathtub in Texas by her mother who was hoping to meet her at the parade that night. She was killed by Rafael Romero, who was in the country illegally. In the bottom left is Laken Riley. She was killed by 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, who was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection after illegally entering the United States near El Paso, Texas.”
“Above are Officer Richard Jarusso, 26, and Officer Christopher Abreu, 26, both of whom were shot and killed this past weekend by Bernardo Raul Castro Mato, a 19-year-old Venezuelan who illegally entered the United States near Eagle Pass in July 2023 and was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol,” Roy added.
Ibarra had an extensive criminal history and was arrested shortly after Riley’s body was discovered after an afternoon run on the University of Georgia campus.
“The federal government continues to fail to secure our borders, Americans are being killed and shot, in this case a police officer was shot and two young women were killed. My question to you regarding state police is, do you believe that the state of Texas has a right to defend itself and ensure that the people who are in this country are not illegal and can protect Texans from people who are here illegally and committing crimes? …Are you saying that the state of Texas does not have a right to protect Texans from murder by people who are in the United States illegally?” the congressman asked.
“As attorney general and as a person, my heart goes out to the family. This is a truly horrible case,” Garland said. “Secondly, as attorney general, the way to stop these people from coming into the United States is to give the Border Patrol more resources so they can stop them.”
Texas Senate Bill 4 Empowering Law Enforcement Laws have been enacted to arrest illegal immigrants and impose various penalties for staying in the country illegally, but the Biden administration argues that these laws are unconstitutional because they infringe on the federal government’s power to enforce immigration law.
“Attorney General, no, no…money does not solve the problem as long as the Department of Homeland Security and the President of the United States refuse to enforce the law and ignore the policy,” Roy responded. “And if we had followed the law, Lizbeth Medina would be here alive today. If we had not released murderers onto the streets of the United States of America through the parole policies that this Administration is pursuing, Laken Riley would be here today.”
“And the Department of Justice is suing Texas in court, spending valuable resources and going against the people of Texas. We’re just saying that Texas should have a say in stopping illegals, arresting them and dealing with them on its own terms when the federal government refuses to do its job,” Roy added.
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