Yes, They’re Human — So Were Their Victims

Once again, the left is in meltdown mode.

You’d think the sky was falling because, gasp, illegal aliens are being deported. CNN panels are sobbing, college kids are marching, and the professional grievance industry is back in full swing with the tired, worn-out mantra: “They’re just human beings trying to make a better life!”

I’ve had it with this argument.

You want to talk about human beings? Let’s talk about Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia. A daughter, a friend, and a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. She went out for a jog and never came back. She was brutally murdered by Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. illegally. He’d already been arrested in New York for child endangerment and released under their sanctuary policies—then allowed to roam free until he crossed paths with Laken Riley. ¹

Laken will never become a nurse. She’ll never start a family. Her parents will never walk her down the aisle. And while her family mourns, the media is more interested in whether ICE followed the correct paperwork.

Where’s the compassion for Laken?

Or how about Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five from Harford County, Maryland. On August 5, 2023, Rachel went out for a jog along the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air. She never returned. Her body was discovered the next day. She had been raped and murdered by Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, who had crossed into the United States illegally and was already wanted for murder in his home country. In April 2025, he was convicted of her brutal killing. ²

Rachel didn’t get to come home. Her five children didn’t just lose a mother — they lost their world. And once again, the man responsible should never have been here in the first place.

So don’t tell me “they’re just trying to find a better life.” Tell that to the Riley family. Tell it to Rachel’s children. Tell it to the thousands of Americans who have become victims of crimes committed by people who violated our laws the second they crossed the border.

Let’s look at the bigger picture. According to a GAO report, criminal aliens incarcerated in state and federal prisons committed over 25,000 homicides in the United States. ³ That’s not a typo. And it’s not a myth. It’s the tragic outcome of an immigration system that prioritizes the feelings of foreign nationals over the lives of American citizens.

And no, these aren’t isolated incidents.

In 2020, Wilbur Martinez-Guzman, an illegal alien from El Salvador, went on a killing spree in Nevada, murdering four elderly Americans during a home burglary rampage. He admitted to targeting them for money. ⁴

In California, Gustavo Garcia, another previously deported illegal alien, was released from jail under the state’s “sanctuary” laws in 2018. Within 24 hours, he went on a shooting rampage in Tulare County—killing one person, injuring six others, and finally dying in a police chase. ⁵

Every time we demand secure borders, we’re lectured by people who don’t live with the consequences. They hide behind hashtags, scream “compassion,” and point fingers at Americans who dare to say: Enough.

They’ll say: “They’re just looking for a better life.”

Well, so was Laken Riley. So was Rachel Morin. So were the elderly citizens in Nevada. But unlike their killers, these Americans were actually entitled to the protection of their government.

Let me be clear: I am not saying every illegal alien is a criminal. But I am saying that every single one of them is here illegally. And when we ignore that reality — when we let them slip through the cracks in our system, or worse, protect them under sanctuary policies — we betray the very citizens our laws are supposed to serve.

This isn’t about hate. It’s about justice.

It’s about the right of American families to live without fear of being victims of crimes that never should’ve been possible. It’s about restoring some sanity to an immigration debate that’s been hijacked by emotional manipulation and political cowardice.

The truth is, our immigration system isn’t broken because it’s too tough. It’s broken because we refuse to enforce the laws we already have. And every time a politician prioritizes “inclusivity” over national security, another family like Rachel Morin’s is put at risk.

So to the mayors of sanctuary cities, the professors preaching open borders, and the celebrities flying private jets while telling us to “be kind”: Yes, they are human beings. But so were their victims. And until you’re ready to say that out loud—until you show even a shred of empathy for the people we’ve lost—don’t you dare lecture us about compassion.

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Footnotes

“ICE furious after illegal immigrant released under sanctuary policy goes on shooting rampage.” Los Angeles Times, Dec. 2018. ↩

“Illegal immigrant charged in murder of nursing student Laken Riley had previous run-ins with law.” Fox News, Feb. 2024. ↩

“Victor Martinez-Hernandez convicted in murder of Rachel Morin, 37-year-old mother of five.” Fox Baltimore, April 2025. ↩

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), “Criminal Alien Statistics,” Report GAO-11-187. ↩

“Illegal immigrant pleads guilty to killing 4 in Nevada.” Associated Press, Feb. 2021. ↩

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