(NewsNation) — The family of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, whose body was found in a creek in June, joined Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Houston prosecutors Friday to push for legislation following her killing.
“All I have left now is to fight, to fight for Jocelyn, to fight for justice, and that’s why I’m here today. I refuse to let Jocelyn’s memory fade,” Nungaray’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, said during a news conference Friday. “I refuse to let her voice go unheard. I’m her voice now, so I will never stop fighting for justice to be served for her.”
A bystander discovered Nungaray’s body naked from the waist down in a creek early June 17, officials said. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences concluded the 12-year-old died by strangulation.
Police arrested Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 21, at a Houston apartment complex in connection to her death in June.
‘Justice for Jocelyn Act’
Standing alongside Alexis Nungaray, Cruz introduced the “Justice for Jocelyn Act,” which would mandate the federal government detain migrants in the country illegally while their cases are proceeding. It would bar law enforcement from engaging in so-called “catch-and-release” practices, where agents release migrants into the country pending their legal cases.
Nungaray hopes the legislation ensures something like this will doesn’t happen again and will memorialize her daughter.
“What is so infuriating about Jocelyn’s murder is that it didn’t have to happen,” Cruz said. “It was utterly and completely preventable.”
He continued, “These two Venezuelan illegal immigrants were in custody, they were in federal custody. All the administration had to do was follow the law, follow the law and put them on a plane and fly them back to Venezuela, and Jocelyn would still be alive.”
Cruz blamed the Biden administration for Nungaray’s death, saying it made the political decision to release the suspects.
The bill would also stipulate that any migrant in the country illegally who wears an ankle bracelet monitor be subject to a curfew. If the curfew is broken, it would result in immediate deportation.
Jocelyn Nungaray killing
Investigators believe Nungaray snuck out of her home June 16.
Court documents allege the men lured Nungaray under a bridge, where they kept her for two hours. Officials say she was tied up and strangled. She was found naked from the waist down with marks and scrapes on her neck consistent with being dragged.
Both of Nungaray’s alleged killers remain behind bars on capital murder charges and $10 million bonds.
Although it is a capital murder case, it’s not eligible for the death penalty as it’s currently charged. That could change if prosecutors were to bring forward sufficient evidence pointing to kidnapping or sexual assault.
Jocelyn Nungaray’s death raises border concerns
Martinez-Rangel and Ramos are roommates originally from Venezuela. It’s unclear where and when they entered the United States, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said.
However, one of the men was reportedly wearing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ankle monitor during the killing.
The news gripped the nation and raised concerns about border vetting processes. Some have also questioned the alternatives to the detention program both men were enrolled in after entering the country illegally.
Nungaray’s death came just months after the death of former University of Georgia student Laken Riley, who was allegedly killed while on a run near the campus by a Venezuelan migrant in the country illegally. Riley’s death also sparked concern over the state of U.S. border security and the country’s immigration policies.