Back in late February, a 15-year-old boy from Maryland was reported missing by his family. Two months later, their worst fears were realized when the body of young Limber Lopez Funez was discovered near a public park. He had been murdered. And just last week, authorities announced five arrests in connection with the horrific slaying.
The local Fox affiliate in Washington, DC, reported on the story, including two infuriating details:
Police arrested 21-year-old Alexis Alfredo Ayala Lopez, 23-year-old Jose Roberto Ramos Lopez, 29-year-old Ismael Lopez Lopez, 27-year-old Elmer Bladimir Reyes Reyes, and 20-year-old Ismael Ivan Rivera Canales in connection with the death of 15-year-old Limber Lopez Funez. All five are members of the violent gang MS-13, police said, and they have each been charged with first-degree murder. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed with the Frederick County Sheriff's Office that all five of the suspects are noncitizens who are in the U.S. illegally...Detectives said they were able to collect digital, video, and forensic evidence that led to the identities of the suspects.
The five suspects, all 20-somethings, are members of a notoriously ruthless and violent gang – and all five are living in the United States illegally. Members of MS-13 have terrorized schools in the tri-state area in recent years, including multiple murders of students. The point of highlighting stories like this is not – as I often note, as an important disclaimer – to demonize illegal immigrants, or immigrants broadly, as uniquely dangerous or violent. Indeed, some data shows exactly the opposite is true. The point is that all crimes committed by illegal immigrants, especially heinous ones, are completely unacceptable. Illegal immigrants do not have a right to be in our country. We have laws and rules for a reason, and it's a slap in the face to the many immigrants who patiently went through the proper process whenever others are rewarded for blowing off that same process.
But it's an outright outrage when an American (or anyone else, for that matter) is physically harmed, assaulted, or killed on US soil by someone who should not have been here at all. To try to frame that sentiment as xenophobia, or any sort of -ism, is demagogic and wrong. It's cruel, actually. For instance, this man should never have had the opportunity to slaughter five people in a murderous outburst, having been deported multiple times. He is responsible for his alleged crimes, obviously, but the political figures who've promoted and permitted lax immigration enforcement also shoulder a portion of the blame. The vast majority of illegal immigrants are merely seeking a better lives for themselves. That's understandable, and we can even empathize with that instinct, even though it's not a sufficient reason to violate our laws to get here. But it's dangerous folly to ignore the national security and public safety threats that also rise when our border is woefully uncontrolled:
I’m told the group of 5 suspected CDN cartel members also had two pretty terrified looking juveniles with them who were later found in the brush after the group was arrested.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 2, 2023
Photo: @TxDPS pic.twitter.com/G0N5mKTy45
Border Patrol agents encountered 16 people who are on the FBI’s terror watch list attempting to enter the U.S. illegally at the southern border between ports of entry in April, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics. CBP stats show that 16 people — more than all four years of fiscal years 17, 18, 19 and 20 combined — were stopped by Border Patrol agents in the month of April. It means there have so far been 98 encounters at the southern and northern borders between ports of entry in FY 23 so far. That’s the same as all of FY 22. There were 16 in FY21, 3 in FY 20 and FY19, 6 in FY18 and two in FY12.
Of course, these examples represent people who were apprehended. More than 1.5 million known got-aways have entered the country illegally since this president took office, coinciding with an explosion of unlawful border crossings. How many others made it through? That's what keeps a lot of stymied and frustrated US officials up at night. Policies matter, and so do incentives. On that latter score, I'll leave you with this:
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BREAKING: Starting next month, California will provide disaster relief money to undocumented immigrants impacted by last winter's storms.
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) May 31, 2023
Families could receive up to $4,500 in debit-cards or checks under Gov. Newsom's new, $95 million program. https://t.co/hx1D7D9tqj
