Recent Migrant Murders Ignite Bipartisan Fury

• A 12-year-old girl and 37-year-old mother were brutalized and killed at the hands of illegal migrants

• Americans are appalled and outraged by the trend and are demanding more radical political solutions

• Democrats are increasingly joining Republicans in backing tough measures, while President Biden sends mixed signals

The story

Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was brutally beaten, raped, killed, and left for dead in a tunnel off the Maryland hiking trail where she was working out last August. Finally — using DNA evidence — two weeks ago police arrested Morin’s killer, an illegal migrant and known gang member from El Salvador.

Last week in Texas, 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was physically and sexually assaulted for more than two hours before being tied up, killed, and thrown into the bayou. Her killers both illegally entered the United States from Venezuela.

While the nation mourns these lives, and seemingly countless others taken at the hands of illegal migrants, the political tenor surrounding migrant crime and border policy has shifted in recent months.

With 62 percent of registered voters supporting a mass deportation program, even Democrats are advocating for stricter border measures. Republicans, guided by Donald Trump, are responding to public sentiment by pushing for military-led mass deportations.

The politics

Americans, regardless of political affiliation are voicing deep concern about illegal migration and resultant crime.

Patty Morin, mother of Rachel Morin, said, "They’re pretending these immigration problems don’t exist and people aren’t being harmed and killed by their policies. The victims are those that are being killed but also their loved ones that they've left behind. It's devastating to the community.”

Ms. Morin speaks for many who want to live in a safe community and who are sick of politicians sweeping migrant crime under the rug. Following the arrest of Rachel’s killer, former president Trump called Patty, who was "deeply touched by President Trump's kindness and concern.”

As expected, Republicans lambasted President Biden and Democrats for their failure to adequately secure the southern border and deport violent migrants. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said, “Yet another American family is destroyed by Joe Biden’s open border. We MUST secure our border NOW.”

The Biden White House issued brief statements on the deaths of Morin and Nungaray, extending “deepest condolences to the family and loved ones” of the slain. Neither statement noted that both murder suspects entered the country illegally.

The governor of Maryland, where Rachel Morin was murdered, shifted blame to congressional Republicans for failing to take action, stating, “You had President Trump who said [the bipartisan congressional border bill] was not advantageous politically, that the deal was killed.”

Beyond the headlines

Though the overwhelming majority of illegal migrants are not violent criminals, the not infrequent-violent crimes they commit make U.S. citizens feel unsafe in their own country. Because Americans are experiencing such crimes in communities nationwide, they are increasingly supportive of stricter policies to combat it.

In March, 26 Democrats banded together to form the “Democrats for Border Security” task force to correct the party’s sharp left turn on immigration, beginning in the Obama administration. Border district Rep. Henry Cuellar commented, “Don’t cede the narrative to Republicans when it comes to border security. It doesn’t matter if we’re Hispanics. We want to see order. We want to see security.”

In response to President Biden’s contradictory border policies — restricting asylum claims via executive order while simultaneously granting mass amnesty to hundreds of thousands of migrants — down-ballot Democrats appear to be adopting a more assertive stance, aligning with Republican counterparts.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), a member of Democrats for Border Security, was victorious in his February special election partly due to his willingness to embrace tougher border policies. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said of Suozzi, "He sounded like a Republican talking about the border." Pre-November, Democrats may adopt rhetoric and policy positions similar to Republicans to address migrant crime and the vast influx of illegal migrants.

Why it matters

While the horrific deaths of innocents at the hands of illegal migrants shock Americans, they are responding by demanding stronger political solutions to scale back the damage done in the past several years.

President Biden is reaping the consequences of his soft border policy and of repealing successful Trump-era provisions like Remain in Mexico and Title 42. Now, Biden is shifting his stance on border security, as is presidential rival RFK Jr., who recently adopted a tone as tough as Donald Trump's.

Cracking down on migrant crime and illegal entry is popular across the political spectrum. It remains to be seen whether voters trust Democrats' claims of supporting stricter enforcement or prefer the GOP's approach — a border wall and mass deportations.