12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray’s murder in Houston becomes central to national immigration debate

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The murder of Jocelyn Nungaray has not only shocked our city but has also become a focal point in the national immigration debate.

During Thursday’s presidential debate, former President Donald Trump mentioned the 12-year-old’s murder. confirmed that Trump spoke with Nungaray’s family before the debate.

Other Republican officials in Texas, including Senator Ted Cruz and Governor Greg Abbott, have called for the death penalty for the suspects.

Jocelyn Nungaray was found strangled in a north Houston creek on June 17.

The two suspects in her murder are undocumented immigrants and are being held on $10 million bonds.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced he will push forward “Jocelyn’s Law,” which would automatically deny bail for those charged with capital murder. Senator Joan Huffman has pledged to sponsor the bill in the state senate.

Despite multiple studies, including those by Stanford University and the National Academy of Sciences, showing that immigrants are less likely to commit violent crimes than those born in the United States, Nungaray’s murder has become a major talking point in the immigration debate.

On social media, former President Trump has called it “a new Biden migrant killing.”

“I just spoke to the mother. They just had the funeral for this girl, 12 years old,” Trump said during the debate. “This is horrible what is taking place. What’s taking place in our country, we’re literally an uncivilized country now.”