Texas lawmaker demands justice after Air Force cadet killed by illegal migrant suspects in hit-and-run
A Texas lawmaker is speaking out following the tragic death of an Air Force Academy cadet who was killed in a hit-and-run involving two migrant suspects in the country illegally.
Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne, who had twice personally sponsored 18-year-old Ava Moore's application to the Air Force Academy, says the incident should never have happened and is demanding accountability.
"I am still livid about what happened and why it happened," Van Duyne told "Fox & Friends" Friday. The Republican congresswoman says she's been in contact with border czar Tom Homan in the wake of the accident and is committed to securing justice for the victim's family.
Ice Identifies Jet Ski Suspects In Air Force Cadet Candidate's Death As Illegal Immigrants
Moore, a young cadet from Texas, was kayaking when she was allegedly struck by a jet ski operated by an illegal migrant. She was weeks away from leaving to start Air Force basic training. The Department of Homeland Security reports that the two migrants involved in the crash then fled the scene without offering help, leaving Moore to die.
DHS has identified the suspects as being Daikerlyn Alejandraa Gonzalez-Gonzalez, who is said to have been driving the jet ski, and Maikel Alexander Coello-Perozo, both foreign nationals who entered the United States illegally in 2023 and were released under the Biden administration.
Read On The Fox News App
Texas Police Arrest Suspect After Fatal Jet Ski Hit-and-run
After fleeing the scene, the suspects reportedly struck two vehicles while attempting to escape. Both were later taken into custody and ICE lodged immigration detainers to begin the removal process after criminal proceedings take place.
Van Duyne described Moore as a "determined" leader and "a phenomenal woman" with a bright future ahead. She said while she is grateful the suspects have been apprehended, she believes the tragedy was avoidable.
Heartbroken Mom Of Texas Murder Victim Breaks Down Over Migrant Crisis: 'You Took Away My Son!'
"These two Venezuelan illegal immigrants who should never have been in our country," she said, "who just recklessly were on a jet ski and smashed into Ava as she was home with her family before she was getting ready to go to boot camp."
"She was out on a kayak. She got hit and they just left her there in the water to die."
Texas Lawmakers Demand Answers On Fatal Crash Allegedly Caused By Illegal Immigrant: 'Infuriating'
One of the suspects is facing a second-degree felony manslaughter charge, while the other has been charged with misdemeanors of collision involving damage to a vehicle and hindering apprehension.
Van Duyne said she's been in contact with Moore's family since her death, and that her father is turning to faith during the difficult time.
"I said, 'I'm so angry about what happened, I'm so angry about it,'" she recalled. "And he said, 'I'm going to stop you there. I'm not [going to] be led by anger.' This is a tremendous man of faith, of kindness, of patience, and forgiveness. And he just said that is the way that Ava would want us to remember her."Original article source: Texas lawmaker demands justice after Air Force cadet killed by illegal migrant suspects in hit-and-run
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
2025 NCAA baseball Super Regionals set: What are the most intriguing matchups?
By Mitch Light, Joe Rexrode, Lindsay Schnell and Mitch Sherman The 2025 NCAA baseball Super Regional field is set following six winner-take-all games on Monday. Top seed Vanderbilt and No. 2 seed Texas were both eliminated on Sunday, but five of the six other top-eight national seeds advanced and will serve as hosts next weekend. Advertisement The story on Monday night was Murray State, which became the 10th No. 4 seed to advance to the Super Regionals since the current format was instituted in 1999. The Racers, the champions of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, held on for a 12-11 win over Ole Miss in Game 7 of the Oxford Regional on Monday night. Ole Miss trimmed a 12-3 deficit to 12-11 with five runs in the seventh and three in the eighth but went down quietly in the ninth. Little Rock, one of two teams in the field with a losing record, almost became a second No. 4 seed to advance, but the Trojans lost to LSU in the Baton Rouge Regional championship game. Here are the matchups in the Super Regionals: No conference has more teams in Super Regionals than the ACC 😤 — ACC Network (@accnetwork) June 3, 2025 Is this the year Duke finally gets over the hump? The program has reached the Super Regional three previous times under coach Chris Pollard but had to play each time on the road, losing at Texas Tech in 2018, Vanderbilt in 2019 and Virginia in 2023. Duke took the first game in each of those Supers but ultimately fell short. Now, the Blue Devils finally get to play at home, thanks to Murray State's magical run through the Oxford Regional. And how about those Racers! Murray State won the Regional in dramatic fashion, beating Ole Miss twice at Swayze Field to advance to the Supers for the first time in program history. The Racers got it done offensively, scoring a total of 42 runs in their four games in Oxford — three vs. Ole Miss and one vs. Georgia Tech. They will be facing a Duke pitching staff that gave up 10 total runs in three games at the Athens Regional, including only three to a powerful Georgia offense that leads the nation in home runs. — Light THAT moment… #GoRacers🏇 — Murray State Baseball (@RacersBaseball) June 3, 2025 This is a showcase of two of the SEC's — and by definition, the nation's — most talented teams. They might be the top two. Tennessee has prospects such as pitchers Liam Doyle and Marcus Phillips, and infielders Andrew Fischer and Gavin Kilen. Arkansas counters with star shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, outfielder Charles Davalan and pitchers Gage Wood and Zach Root. It's a talent bonanza. Advertisement It's also a continuation of the SEC's disappointment after an underwhelming performance in the Regionals. That one of these teams definitely won't get to Omaha is a downer for the league, especially considering some of the national seeds that didn't make it to the Supers. Tony Vitello returns to his former home to take on mentor Dave Van Horn in one of the sport's great environments. Arkansas took two out of three at home against Tennessee to end the regular season and had no issues cruising through the first weekend, but the Vols seem to have their edge back. — Rexrode The eight-nine matchup is always intriguing, but this one is especially so because after a wild Regional round, we don't have that many Supers featuring two top-16 seeds. And neither team had an easy path to get here. After Oregon State's opening home loss, the Beavers' chances were shaky, but OSU responded by scoring 43 (43!) runs in its final three Regional games. FSU needed some magic of its own to pull off a late-game comeback against Mississippi State and advance to its 19th (19th!) Super Regional, the most of any program in the country. Florida State has one of the top prospects in the country in junior left-hander Jamie Arnold. The Beavers boast one of the best freshmen in the nation in right-hander Dax Whitney. Though they aren't likely to start the same game — Arnold should be the Game 1 guy while Whitney is likely for Game 2 — we are probably in for a masterclass in pitching. — Schnell This battle of the four-letter state schools is a historical mismatch. The Roadrunners are in the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2013 — which happens to be the year that the Bruins last qualified for the College World Series. UCLA won it all 12 years ago. Coach John Savage, in his 21st season, aims to take a fourth UCLA team to Omaha. But UTSA will not be intimidated by the iconic jersey or the setting after it rolled Texas twice en route to sweeping the Austin Regional. It was one of several black eyes for the SEC in the opening weekend of the tournament. When it's over in Westwood, we'll see a representative from the American Athletic Conference or the Big Ten at the CWS. — Sherman (Photo of Murray State: Petre Thomas / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
DHS: ICE agents detained Mass. student in operation targeting father
June 2 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts high school student was detained over the weekend in an immigration law enforcement operation targeting his father, the Trump administration said Tuesday as it responded to anger over the arrest of 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva. Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a Brazilian native, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Saturday while en route to volleyball practice. His arrest prompted scores of students at his Milford High School to walk out of class in protest on Monday, and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey demanded answers from the Trump administration, which she accuses of creating "fear in our communities" through its immigration crackdown. "I'm disturbed and outraged by reports that a Milford High School student was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice yesterday," Healey said in a statement. "I'm demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected." In response, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that da Silva was arrested by ICE agents "engaged in a targeted immigration enforcement operation of a known public safety threat and illegal alien, Joao Paulo Gomes Pereira," who is the teenager's father. DHS said justification for arresting Gomes Pereira was that local authorities informed ICE that he is in the country undocumented and "has a habit of reckless driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas." ICE agents identified Gomes Pereira's vehicle and arrested both the father and son during a traffic stop. "While ICE officers never intended to apprehend Gomes-DaSilva, he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest," DHS said in the statement. The student is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings, it said. The pair were seemingly arrested during a one-month law enforcement crackdown in the state on undocumented migrants, the results of which were announced Monday during a press conference held by federal officials who said they detained 1,461 migrants. Concerning Gomes da Silva's detainment, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley for Massachusetts blamed the state over its alleged sanctuary policies, stating that when local law enforcement declines to work with federal immigration authorities, ICE is forced to go into their streets, and if they find undocumented individuals, they will be arrested. "He is 18 years old. He's unlawfully in this country. And, unfortunately, we had to go to Milford to look for someone else and we came across him and he was arrested," she said, then shrugged. "That's where that stands." Healey has repeatedly said Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state. In response to a reporter's question about what danger the student posed, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons retorted by asking whether they would be asking the same question if it was state police and not ICE agents that performed the arrest. "I didn't say he was dangerous, I said he's in this country illegally. We're not going to walk away from anybody," he said. "There are 18-year-olds arrested, but we are focused on this one. And I will say, his dad hasn't turned himself in yet and his dad knowns he's the target of it." In a writ of habeas corpus filed Sunday by attorney Miriam Conrad, who is representing Gomes da Silva, she said her client entered the U.S. through a student visa in 2021, which has lapsed but the student is eligible for and intends to apply for asylum. "Petitioner has no criminal history," the court document states. "Petitioner is currently being detained by federal agents without cause and in violation of his constitutional rights under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution." The officials said during the press conference that nearly 1,500 undocumented migrants were detained in Operation Patriot, which was launched amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and controversial attempt at mass deportations. The Trump administration deportations have been met with legal challenges as well as accusations of deporting U.S. citizens, including children. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., chastised the Trump administration over its detainment of Gomes da Silva. "This isn't about public safety. This is about cruelty and power and fear engendered by the Trump administration," he said in a video statement published to X. "To the Milford community, I'm with you as we tell the Trump administration to keep its hands off your kids."
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
DHS says FEMA head was joking when he said he wasn't aware of hurricane season
Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator David Richardson was joking when he said at a meeting Monday that he was not aware of the upcoming hurricane season, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Reuters reported that Richardson said at a briefing that he was not aware the United States has a hurricane season, confusing staffers. The report, which said it was unclear if Richardson was serious or joking, cited four unnamed sources familiar with the situation. 'Despite meanspirited attempts to falsely frame a joke as policy, there is no uncertainty about what FEMA will be doing this Hurricane Season. FEMA is laser focused on disaster response, and protecting the American people,' a spokesperson for DHS said. The spokesperson added that Richardson is 'activated in preparation for Hurricane Season.' Richardson took the reins at FEMA last month. The previous acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, was removed from his job after he told lawmakers at a congressional hearing that he did not believe the agency should be eliminated. DHS has denied that Hamilton's ouster was related to his testimony. FEMA is responsible for coordinating the government's emergency response to areas affected by natural disasters, such as hurricanes. Hurricane season runs from June through November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted there is a 60% chance of an above-normal season this year, during which the United States could get six to 10 hurricanes, three to five of which could be 'major.' Democrats blasted Richardson following the report about the meeting. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., referred to the Reuters report when he wrote on X, "And I'm unaware of why he hasn't been fired yet." Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., also took aim at Richardson, writing on X, "Bare minimum requirement for the leader of FEMA: know when hurricane season is." President Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly floated the idea of terminating the emergency disaster agency. During a visit to North Carolina in January to survey the damage of Hurricane Helene, which swept across the state late last year, Trump suggested overhauling or doing away with FEMA, calling it 'very bureaucratic' and 'very slow.' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also suggested that FEMA should be eliminated. But without an alternative plan and with hurricane season approaching, Noem has also quietly made efforts to keep the agency running, sources familiar with the situation have told NBC News. This article was originally published on
