Cruz: Biden admin. 'directly responsible' for murder of 12-year-old allegedly by illegal immigrants

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argued that the Biden administration's border policies are "directly responsible" for the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray from Houston, which was allegedly committed by two illegal immigrants that U.S. authorities allowed into the country at the border.

The two were caught on surveillance footage with Nungaray before she died from strangulation, according to reports. It had not yet been determined if she was sexually assaulted.

Cruz said both of the suspects should "receive the death penalty" if it is proven they committed the murder.

The suspects, originally from Venezuela, entered the U.S. through El Paso earlier this year. The U.S. Border Patrol, under Biden administration rules, released them into the U.S. 
 
"This is horrifying. If guilty, both of these men should receive the death penalty for this horrible crime. These men are illegal aliens and Jocelyn Nungaray would still be alive and with her family if not for Joe Biden’s open border policies," Cruz said in a statement.

"The Biden administration is directly responsible. My heart goes out to Jocelyn’s family. We must give them justice. Joe Biden is out of excuses: He must reinstate Remain in Mexico and end catch-and-release immediately, or we will lose more innocent life. There is no time for half measures—we need to look at what works, and do it now," he added.

Other crimes involving migrants have been making headlines. 

A migrant from Ecuador who crossed into Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2021 was ultimately ordered removed by an immigration judge the following year but wasn't deported. He raped a 13-year-old girl in a Bronx park last week and admitted to videotaping the attack in his confession.