Families of Victims of Illegal Immigrant Crime Criticize Biden-Harris Border Policies

Families who lost loved ones to crimes committed by illegal immigrants testified before a House hearing, accusing the Biden-Harris administration of failing to address the issue and exposing Americans to danger.

The daughter of Mexican immigrants, April Aguirre, addressed a House hearing on the Biden-Harris border crisis on Tuesday, speaking on behalf of an 11-year-old girl who authorities say was brutally raped and murdered at the hands of an illegal immigrant. Aguirre slammed the Democrats' policies, which she believes are giving "good migrants a bad name."

Aguirre testified before the House Judiciary Committee along with the mothers of children whose deaths they say were caused by the border policies under President Biden and Vice President Harris. She spoke on behalf of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez, a migrant who was living in Houston with her father when authorities say an illegal immigrant from Guatemala entered her home and killed her. Maria's body was found stuffed under her father's bed in a plastic bag inside a laundry basket.

Families of Victims of Illegal Immigrant Crime Criticize Biden-Harris Border Policies

"Maria was so covered in bruises I had to go and shop for a funeral dress for her to cover the damage that that man did to her. Maria lost fingernails in her fight, and she's a migrant child," Aguirre detailed to the committee.

A medical examiner determined that Maria Gonzalez died of strangulation by asphyxiation and had also been sexually assaulted, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

Families of Victims of Illegal Immigrant Crime Criticize Biden-Harris Border Policies

"Can you imagine them trying to fight off a grown man off of them? The shock of being undressed, the pain of being beaten and smothered, trying to fight for your life while a predator's one objective is to use them to satisfy their sick and demented appetites," Aguirre told the committee. "Our girls deserve protection. Our girls deserve to live their life without fear. Our girls deserve to perish in a natural manner of old age."

Aguirre slammed the Biden-Harris administration's policies for ignoring the "monsters" that illegally cross the border, thereby "giving all of us good migrants such a bad name."

Families of Victims of Illegal Immigrant Crime Criticize Biden-Harris Border Policies

"We're letting everything through the border because we're not checking them and you're victimizing citizens, you're victimizing immigrants alike," Aguirre said. "We're not against immigration, we're against unvetted immigration."

When Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, claimed that Aguirre and the families of other victims were being exploited by Republicans, Aguirre called it an "insulting" assumption.

Families of Victims of Illegal Immigrant Crime Criticize Biden-Harris Border Policies

"You said some very broad statements insulting these people, lost loved ones, they lost children and we want to see a difference," Aguirre shot back at Escobar. "We may not understand everything that's going on, but I assure you that we're not being used in any way."

House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Fox News ahead of the hearing that the Biden-Harris administration "let in 10 million people in three and a half years, 99 on the terrorist watch list."

Jordan said the testimony from the mothers and family who spoke at the hearing will help highlight the "real cost" of illegal immigration in communities across the country.

Other family members who testified at the hearing included Jessica Garcia, the mother of 15-year-old Juan Garcia, who was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant in Houston, and Denise Maestas, the mother of 16-year-old Gerald Martin Jr., who was killed by an illegal immigrant in North Carolina.

The families' testimonies painted a grim picture of the consequences of the Biden-Harris administration's border policies, which they say have allowed dangerous criminals to enter the country and prey on innocent civilians. They called for increased border security measures and a more stringent vetting process for potential immigrants.

The Biden administration has defended its border policies, saying they are focused on both security and humanitarian concerns. However, critics argue that the administration's approach has failed to stem the flow of illegal immigration and has made the country less safe.