Grassley Seeks Details on Undocumented Criminal Charged in Murder of Teen Stepdaughter & their Unborn Child

Statement

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is asking how a man illegally in the country with a long, violent criminal record and multiple encounters with immigration officials could be allowed not only to remain in the country, but also be granted a work permit. The man, Armando Rodrigo Garcia-Ramirez, was recently charged in the murder of his 15-year-old stepdaughter, who was nine months pregnant with their second child.

According to reports, Garcia-Ramirez was charged with Assault in 2008 and theft in 2009, but he never stood trial for either charge. Immigration authorities attempted to deport him in 2011, but he made bond, and again, never faced additional actions. He was later charged with smuggling five undocumented immigrants, but local prosecutors declined to bring a case, and he was released on bond before immigration officials could deport him. In 2016, the Obama administration granted him a work permit allowing him to apply for a driver's license and other benefits.

In a letter today to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Grassley is seeking Garcia-Ramirez' full immigration and criminal histories. Grassley is also asking what steps DHS took to prevent Garcia-Ramirez' release from sanctuary jurisdictions, why he was granted immigration benefits despite his criminal history and whether he met the Obama Administration's enforcement priorities.

"This is another tragic and disturbing example of the consequences of not enforcing our immigration laws. It is baffling to me that someone with this kind of record, who as repeatedly broken our nation's laws, can be allowed not only to stay, but to get a work permit. We need better enforcement to prevent these terrible tragedies in the future," Grassley said.

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