Eighteen House Democrats, including Texas Congress members Joaquin Castro and Beto O’Rourke, are calling for swift answers from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan regarding Juan David Ortiz, the Border Patrol supervisor who has confessed to murdering four women during a 10-day killing spree in Texas earlier this month.
“Congress must know whether Customs and Border Protection missed any red flags that could have prevented these tragedies, such as a change in Ortiz’s conduct or a lapsed background check,” the legislators, most from the U.S./Mexico border region, write in their letter to McAleenan. “Like you, our priority is to provide for the well-being and safety of the populations we serve. To do so, we must learn from any mistakes made in the case.”
Legislators also want to know if Ortiz “was acting in his capacity as a Border Patrol agent at any time during the alleged crimes,” and if any government resources, including vehicles and databases, were used. “Clear answers to these questions,” they continue, “are also important to ensure our government processes are secure from abuse.”
The news that Border Patrol had a serial killer in its ranks seems to have all but fallen off the radar of the mainstream media—and has been ignored by certain politicians who love promulgating racist propaganda—but as advocates know all too well, this horrific killing spree is just the latest deadly incident involving this agency. Instead, the administration wants to lower hiring standards to hire thousands more immigration agents, leading to justified fear that an agency in urgent need of oversight will only get worse.
“It seems that new stories come out every day of Border Patrol agents committing horrible acts of abuse and violence against immigrants. Law enforcement agents are sworn to protect and serve the public, and they must be held to the highest standards both in hiring and accountability,” said Ur Jaddou of DHS Watch. “But multiple reports have shown that CBP’s accountability structures are woefully lacking and way behind other large law enforcement agencies.”
Meanwhile, in Texas, the final victim to be identified from Ortiz’s rampage, Guiselda Alicia Hernandez, was laid to rest Saturday, the Laredo Morning Times reported. “According to Hernandez's obituary, she was mother of four.” Claudine Ann Luera, mom of five, and Janelle Ortiz were buried on Friday, and Melissa Ramirez, the first-known victim and a mom of two, was buried on September 4.
Erika Peña, the sole survivor from Ortiz’s rampage, is struggling to survive through her trauma, her family says. "It's a miracle that she's alive,” said her mom, Adriana Rodriguez. But “she can’t think. She can’t sleep. She screams.” Guiselda Alicia Hernandez, Claudine Ann Luera, Janelle Ortiz, and Peña deserve justice, they deserve answers, and they deserve them now.