Angel mom to Allred: Political gain narrative a ‘slap in the face’

(The Center Square) – A Houston angel mom is calling out U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, R-Dallas, and a claim made by a Dallas television host saying she was being used politically because she called for an end to Biden-Harris border policies that she argues killed her daughter.

In a campaign ad paid for by Win it Back PAC, Houston Angel mom Alexis Nungaray described the murder of her 12-year-old daughter, Jocelyn, who was strangled to death by Venezuelan men after they illegally entered the country and were released by Border Patrol agents through Biden-Harris “catch and release” policies. Less than 30 days after they were released, Jocelyn “was found down there in the Bayou. She had no pants on. They bound her feet and they just left her like nothing, all because of that policy catch and release,” Alexis said. “Colin Allred pushing that policy ultimately took my daughter’s life. Colin Allred didn’t kill my daughter, but his policies are why she’s dead.”

In an interview with Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, Allred was asked by reporter Steven Dial about the girl who was killed by an illegal immigrant. Dial said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is “using the mother of a young woman in the Houston area who was killed, blaming” President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Allred.

In response to Dial’s claim, Allred expressed no condolences for Alexis’ loss. He mentioned he was a parent of two children saying, “All I can hope, personally, is that if we suffered a tragedy and lost one of our children, that we would try and turn that into action.”

In response, Alexis Nungaray blasted Allred’s remarks in a statement to Fox 26 Houston, saying, “Senator Ted Cruz sat down with me days after my daughter was murdered. It was because of policies supported by Colin Allred that two illegal migrants were released from custody and were able to do what they did to my daughter.

“For Colin Allred to say that Sen. Cruz and I advocating for stronger immigration laws is only for political gain is a slap in the face to me,” she said. “I’m not doing this for anyone’s gain, I’m doing this to solely advocate for my daughter. Jocelyn’s voice was ripped away from her. It is now my duty as a mother to forever be her voice, and no one will ever take that away from me. Colin Allred has no right to tell me how to fight for my daughter’s memory.”

After Jocelyn was murdered on June 17, Alexis has been calling for action to end the policies that she and countless angel parents across the country say killed their loved ones. Her actions include testifying before Congress several times, meeting with state and local lawmakers and endorsing former President Donald Trump and Cruz, R-Houston, whom Allred is challenging for Senate.

When asked if Allred had reached out to Alexis to express his condolences any time after June 17, “to any angel parents in Texas, the Texas National Guardsman killed by drug traffickers, or the families of TX DPS officers who were killed at the border due to illegal border crosser crime,” Allred’s campaign spokesperson pointed to the Fox interview as “a full response expressing his compassion.” When asked what in his statement was compassionate and if Allred had reached out to Alexis or any other angel moms and did he want to respond to Alexis’ claim that he insulted her, The Center Square received no comment.

The claim that Alexis was being used was similar to U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat from El Paso, claiming Republicans were “exploiting people’s pain for political purposes.”

In response, April Aguirre, a victim’s advocate in Houston, said Escobar’s remarks were insulting and other Angel moms said they “do not feel exploited.”

“It’s insulting these people lost loved ones. They lost children. I assure you that we’re not being used in any way,” Aguirre said. She added that when helping victims’ families “navigate the criminal justice system, not one Democrat called me to offer their assistance. It was only Republicans.”

At a press event with Trump, one angel mom said, “I really want our words to be heard. I really want you to take to heart what we’re saying. We’re not here for a political stand, although we are. We’re here because we’re losing our moms, our daughters, our children to criminals, and that shouldn’t happen. We should be taking care of our country, our people. The only way I believe that’s going to happen is if President Trump is reelected as president.”

The best way to protect Americans, they argue, is to “close up this border and put policies back into place that were there before instead of this open border.”

In response to Dial, Allred said, “I take offense at what Ted Cruz is doing, which is using a tragedy for his political gain when he has been a part of stopping us from solving this problem.” Allred also claims that Cruz “had forever to work on this,” referring to securing the border. “Where’s the Cruz bill over the more than decade plus that he’s been in the United States Senate? Why has he not been a part of the efforts to secure the border? … We have to act and when you have a crisis, which we’ve had, you have to respond to it.”

House and Senate Republicans, and at least half of U.S. attorneys general who’ve sued the Biden-Harris administration, argue the border crisis was created by their policies in violation of laws established by Congress. If existing federal laws were enforced, millions of illegal border crossers wouldn’t have been released into the U.S. but would have been deported, they argue. Trump ended the Obama-era catch-and-release policy that the Biden-Harris administration ramped up.

Allred has consistently voted against border security bills, even ones that fellow Texas Democrats U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, supported, The Center Square reported. High profile Democrats have endorsed Cruz, including the Democratic district attorney prosecuting the case against Jocelyn’s alleged murderers.