BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Questions arise after MS-13 member accused in woman’s death

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NewsNation) — A pair of top GOP House members are looking into the release of a teenage MS-13 gang member accused of killing a 20-year-old woman last year after he was released by Border Patrol.

The agency says it has no way of tracking the criminal histories of people who enter the U.S. from other countries without authorization.

House Reps. Jim Jordan and Tom McClintock are investigating why a 17-year-old boy from El Salvador was released after crossing into the country, where he later was accused of strangling a Maryland woman.

Police in Aberdeen, Maryland, announced the arrest on Feb. 19. They did not issue the name of the accused boy, who is a juvenile. He’s now charged in the July 27 death of Kayla Hamilton, who was diagnosed with autism.

Police say they tied him to the case using DNA evidence. Investigators have said he entered the U.S. through Texas and was reported to be an unaccompanied minor with an aunt in Maryland.

Health and Human Services took custody of the teenager after he was processed and released by Border Patrol.

Now Jordan and McClintock are calling on the agency to release all of the case’s history, including the steps taken to verify the teen’s age, how they identified him as an MS-13 gang member and how the agency confirmed his aunt was his sponsor.

“If they don’t have a criminal record in the United States … they pretty much go unnoticed and they get released,” said Art Del Cueto, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council.

The National Border Patrol Council says agents don’t have access to other countries’ criminal databases — except for the minimal access they have in Mexico.

“It is very, extremely possible that if these individuals do not have any criminal background, or nothing on the record, that that would show in the United States records they could possibly come across, mixed with the rest of the crowd that’s coming in, claim asylum, and potentially get released in the United States,” Del Cueto said.

Border Report

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Cloudy

la

56°F Cloudy Feels like 56°
Wind
3 mph S
Humidity
93%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Overcast. Areas of dense fog. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.
51°F Overcast. Areas of dense fog. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
3 mph N
Precip
8%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Crescent