A day after the Obama administration argues for an extension of amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants before the Supreme Court, the mothers of victims murdered by illegal immigrants will appear before a House panel to call for tougher immigration enforcement.
Tuesday, Michelle Root, the mother of Sarah Root — a recent college graduate who was killed by an illegal immigrant (now on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Most Wanted List) — and Laura Wilkerson, the mother of Josh Wilkerson — who was tortured and killed by an illegal immigrant — will testify before the House Judiciary Committee’s Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee.
“Not everyone is a DREAMer or a valedictorian – there are criminals motivated by malice and a conscious disrespect for the law,” Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy said in a statement announcing the hearing. “But these losses are preventable, and it should not take the tragic death of another innocent life for this administration to begin enforcing our laws.”
The Obama administration has come under fire in recent years for what Republicans and immigration hawks say is a significant dilution of immigration law and enforcement. According to the committee, for example, from October 2011 to December 2014, ICE released criminal aliens from detention over 105,000 times, despite committing assault, sexual assaults, homicide-related offenses, and kidnapping prior to their release.
Root and Wilkerson’s prepared testimony, posted in advance of the hearing by the committee, offer a glimpse into the heart-wrenching testimony lawmakers will hear Tuesday.
“Edwin Mejia spent four days in jail and is believed to have fled the area and possibly the country after posting $5,000 bail,” Root’s prepared testimony reads. “Less than the amount it cost to bury my baby.”
Mejia is charged with killing 21-year-old Sarah Root while street-racing drunk. He absconded after posting bail, and ICE declined to hold him.
“Because of the lack of controls, the police, immigration, U.S. Marshals and law enforcement have little or no information on his whereabouts on him, his family and acquaintances. He and those who protect and hide him are cowards,” her testimony continues.
Wilkerson’s prepared testimony delves into the torture and murder her teenage son underwent at the hands of Hermilo Vildo Moralez, an illegal immigrant.
At trial, the killer testified on his behalf and gave exact testimony on how he systematically killed Josh. First a punch in the face, so his vision was off. Next a knee to Josh’s abdomen so that he would go to the ground. Josh went to the ground as his spleen was sliced in half. This killer was aggravated that it was not over, he grew tired of watching bloody bubbles coming from Josh’s nose as he was trying to breathe. Next he took a closet rod and beat Josh over the head again and again until the rod broke in 4 pieces. Joshua still breathing. Next he strangled him, let him go to see if it was over, nope, so he continued until there were no more bubbles. He waited and watched him die. He tied Josh’s body up, stuffed him in the backseat of our truck, bought gas, dumped Josh in a field and set his body on fire. The killer went home took a shower and went to see a movie.
Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins and Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the United Methodist Church are also slated to testify at Tuesday’s hearing, titled “The Real Victims of a Reckless and Lawless Immigration Policy: Families and Survivors Speak Out on the Real Cost of This Administration’s Policies.”
“Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime. The Obama Administration’s refusal to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and its release of criminal aliens into American communities has tragic consequences,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte added. “Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, friends and neighbors across the United States have lost loved ones at the hands of criminal aliens. Not only are these losses of life tragic, they would be preventable if the Administration enforced our immigration laws.”
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