U.S. Rep. Troy E. Nehls and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz have introduced legislation to enhance the detention and tracking of illegal aliens entering the United States.
12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray from Houston was assaulted and murdered by two illegal aliens from Venezuela in June. Both illegal aliens crossed into the U.S. through El Paso. After apprehension by the U.S. Border Patrol, they were released into the United States as part of the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program.
At the time of Jocelyn’s assault and murder, one illegal alien suspect wore a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement GPS monitor. The other was permitted to remove his monitor after 21 days.
The proposed Justice for Jocelyn Act would require that every available ICE detention bed be used before releasing an illegal alien as part of ATD. If no beds are available, the Department of Homeland Security must “exhaust all reasonable efforts to keep an alien in custody.”
The new legislation would also require GPS monitoring of individuals “for the duration of immigration proceedings” and force judges to remove any alien who has violated a release order.
In a press statement from Nehls’ office on Thursday, Alexis Nungaray, Jocelyn’s mother, said that the Justice for Jocelyn Act “would have prevented Jocelyn’s death” and kept “her two murderers from being on the street.”
Nehls stated that both illegal alien suspects were from “Venezuela, a gang haven, and were released by the Biden Administration into our homeland, despite ICE detention beds being available.”
“Without serious reforms, American families will continue to lose family members and loved ones at the hands of illegal aliens,” he added.
According to previous reporting by Texas Scorecard, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations units arrested more than 73,000 illegal aliens with criminal backgrounds in 2023.
“No parent should have to feel the anguish that Jocelyn’s mother Alexis is suffering,” said Cruz. “No family should have to live in fear that a violent criminal from another country is wandering their neighborhood intending to harm their children.”
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
