(Daily Signal)—Over the past 12 months, illegal aliens have been arrested in connection with the deaths of at least 13 Americans. Seven of those victims were minors.
“The simple fact is that every crime committed by an illegal alien is one committed by an individual who should not have been at large in the country in the first place,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Green told The Daily Signal.
“While the Left likes to hide behind flawed studies and incomplete data on illegal alien crime, families across our country are suffering from the tragic realities of President [Joe] Biden and Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas’ open borders,” said Green, R-Tenn.
The growing number of American lives lost at the hands of illegal immigrants coincides with an increase in the number of criminal illegal immigrants crossing America’s borders annually.
According to Customs and Border Protection, 13,130 criminal noncitizens were encountered between ports of entry since the start of fiscal year 2024 on Oct. 1, setting up fiscal 2024 to outpace last year’s 15,267 such encounters.
“Instead of enforcing the laws they swore to uphold, Biden and Mayorkas have devoted themselves to a policy of mass catch-and-release,” Green said. “This radical agenda may excite their far-left base, but the rest of us are left wondering if one of our loved ones will be the next to fall victim to these violent crimes.”
The following are 13 Americans who have lost their lives at the hands of illegal aliens in the past 12 months.
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, have been charged with capital murder in the death of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. Nungaray’s body was found in a creek on June 17.
In court documents obtained by Fox News, Harris County Assistant District Attorney Michael Abner wrote that “the defendant lured a 12-year-old under a bridge, where he and his co-defendant remained with her for over 2 hours, took her pants off, tied her up, and killed her, then threw her body into the bayou.”
Peña Ramos crossed the border in May; Martinez-Rangel in March. Both men are from Venezuela.
“Let me be very clear,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, recently said in an appearance on Fox News, “These bastards should be executed, and they should burn in the pits of hell. But we shouldn’t have to be talking about this, because Jocelyn should still be with us. And every day this administration is releasing more and more and more illegal aliens who are going on to kill people day after day after day.”
Gloria Cascio, 53
On April 26, Maine state troopers responded to reports of a car crash on Interstate 95 in Wells, about 30 miles south of Portland.
Driving a Toyota Prius, Oguzhan Cildir—an illegal immigrant who crossed the U.S. border from Mexico in January—hit a minivan and a pickup truck, according to The Maine Wire. The pickup truck, carrying Gloria Cascio and her husband, rolled over a number of times. Cascio was pronounced dead at the scene, and her husband suffered serious injuries.
The Maine Wire reported Thursday: “More than 62 days after the fatal accident, no charges have been filed against Cildir, and a police source tells the Maine Wire that State Police are still waiting for a toxicology report.”
Ruby Garcia, 25
Brandon Ortiz-Vite, an illegal alien from Mexico, is accused of killing a Michigan woman, Ruby Garcia, during a carjacking attempt in March.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement says Ortiz-Vite was deported to Mexico in the fall of 2020, but returned to the U.S. without permission, according to the local Michigan news outlet MLive.
Garcia was found dead on a road in Grand Rapids on March 22 with a gunshot wound to the head.
Christopher Gadd, 27
Raul Benitez Santana, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, crashed into Washington State Trooper Christopher Gadd’s cruiser at more than 100 mph in March.
Keep it simple. Avoid the scams. Let Genesis rollover your retirement accounts into a self-direct IRA backed by physical precious metals.
Santana, driving an SUV, reportedly swerved and hit the back of Gadd’s parked patrol car on the shoulder of Interstate 5 in Marysville, Washington, about 34 miles north of Seattle.
The New York Post reports that it’s unclear when Santana first arrived in the U.S., but he has had multiple run-ins with U.S. law enforcement dating back to 2013.
Gadd was a husband and father of a daughter.
Travis Wolfe, 12
On Dec. 20, Endrina Bracho crashed her vehicle into a car carrying 12-year-old Travis Wolfe and his parents. The Missouri family was rushed to a hospital, and Travis was put on life-support. He passed away on March 6.
Bracho, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was reportedly driving 75 mph in the wrong lane when she collided headfirst with the car carrying Travis.
Bracho faces multiple charges, including involuntary manslaughter and operating a vehicle without a valid license.
Alex Wise Jr., 10
Rogelio Ortiz-Olivas, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, is accused of hitting and killing Alex Wise Jr. while the young boy walked home from school in Midland County, Texas, in February.
CBS reported that Ortiz-Olivas was previously sent back to Mexico on a voluntary removal, and was then deported five times after that.
He faces charges of hit-and-run and of an accident causing death.
Lizbeth Medina, 16
Rafael Govea Romero was indicted in February on capital murder charges in the death of Lizbeth Medina last December.
Romero, an illegal immigrant, had reportedly been stalking Medina leading up to her killing, according to KTRK-TV.
The teen’s mother, Jacqueline Medina, found her daughter dead in the bathtub of their apartment in Edna, Texas, about 140 southeast of San Antonio.
Jeremy Poou-Caceres, 2
Nilson Granados-Trejo, an illegal alien and Salvadoran national, has been charged with first- and second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 2-year-old Jeremy Poou-Caceres in Maryland in February.
The little boy and his mom were out for a walk when they were caught up in the crossfire of an illegal immigrant who was in a car and firing, reportedly at another group of people.
Laken Riley, 22
Laken Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University, was slain while jogging on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga., on Feb. 22. Authorities concluded that she died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who crossed the border in 2022, has been arrested and charged with 10 counts in Riley’s death, including malice murder.
Melissa Powell, 47, and Riordan Powell, 16
An illegal alien who had been deported four times faces charges in connection with the accident that killed mother and son Melissa and Riordan Powell in December 2023 in Colorado. He was reportedly driving under the influence.
Jose Guadalupe Menjivar-Alas, an El Salvadoran, was said to be going about 100 mph when his vehicle struck the vehicle carrying Powell and her son.
Menjivar-Alas faces multiple charges, including vehicular homicide.
Aiden Clark, 11
Hermanio Joseph, a Haitian migrant, illegally crossed the border in 2022, according to the Daily Mail.
On Aug. 22, Joseph was driving with an invalid license in Lawrenceville, Ohio, when he swerved over the centerline and struck a school bus full of children. Aiden Clark, 11, was ejected from the bus and pronounced dead at the scene. About two dozen other children were injured.
Joseph was found guilty May 1 of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide and was sentenced to nine to 13 years in prison, WDTN-TV reported.
Rachel Morin, 37
Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, crossed the U.S. southern border illegally in February 2023, according to Harford County, Maryland, Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler. Six months later, in August 2023, Hernandez is suspected of attacking, raping, and killing Rachel Morin, a mother of five, while she exercised on the MA & PA Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, about 30 miles northeast of Baltimore.
After a lengthy investigation, authorities arrested Hernandez in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 14 on charges of rape and murder.
Subscribe for free to the America First Report newsletter.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.