Ted Cruz calls for death penalty for two illegal immigrants charged with murdering 12-year-old

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called for the death penalty of two illegal immigrants charged with killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray of Houston if they are convicted, in a post over the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, June 21.

According to Fox News, the pair apprehended for the murder comprise Johan Jose Martinez Rangel, 22, and Franklin Pena, 26, both from Venezuela. Each of them has been charged with capital murder.

Investigators tracked their movements through surveillance footage as they were seen with Nungaray on Sunday night before she was killed near a bridge.

Harris County Assistant District Attorney Michael Abner stated of the crime, "In this case, the defendant lured a 12-year-old under a bridge, where he and his co-defendant remained with her for over 2 hours, took her pants off, tied her up, and killed her, then threw her body into the bayou."

Senator Ted Cruz's tweet

Cruz shared the news of murder charges being brought against the accused illegal immigrants over X and held President Joe Biden's border policies responsible for the tragedy.

"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," he wrote in his post.

Both suspects had been apprehended illegally entering the United States earlier this year. A spokesperson of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly shared, "On March 14, Martinez was apprehended by the US Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas. That same day he was released on an order of recognizance with a notice to appear. Pena was apprehended by the US Border Patrol on May 28 near El Paso. He was also released on an order of recognizance with a notice to appear the same day he was apprehended."

"The Biden administration is directly responsible. My heart goes out to Jocelyn’s family. We must give them justice," continued Cruz. "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."

Internet riles up over Ted Cruz's post

Netizens were divided in their response to Cruz's post, as the following tweets demonstrate.

"If there’s ever the case for such penalty, this is it!" expressed a user.

"You voted against border security," a second reminded the Senator.

"This administration is completely responsible, disgraceful," stated a third.

"You chose to obey Trump vs pass a border security bill. This is 100% on the Republican House and Senate members," slammed a fourth user.

"Death penalty is appropriate. Fry them," stated a fifth.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.