GOP Blames Biden Administration For Releasing Alleged MS-13 Member Accused Of Brutal Murder

The interim report, which will be published on Tuesday, states that "a tragic example of the failure to enforce U.S. immigration law under Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas’ watch is the murder and sexual assault of 20-year-old Kayla Hamilton in Aberdeen, Maryland in July 2022."

The suspect, who was arrested in January, is an illegal immigrant and alleged MS-13 gang member, who police said entered the U.S. via Rio Grande City, Texas as an unaccompanied child in March 2022 and was transferred to a woman identified as his aunt in Frederick, Maryland.

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He is charged with strangling Hamilton, who was autistic, to death. The interim report said that the committee's oversight "revealed that the Biden Administration insufficiently vetted Kayla’s murderer and allowed him to enter the country."

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The report also revealed that the alleged murderer had already been arrested in El Salvador for "illicit association" with the deadly street gang, which was discovered by contacting officials in the country. Additionally, the suspect had gang tattoos, something that did not come up in his files, and emerged in case notes by law enforcement only a few months later, although the report notes it is possible he could have received the tattoos after entering the U.S. The report also says his case file is filled with notations saying he had no behavioral issues and "demonstrated good judgment and age-appropriate behaviors."

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"The Biden Administration’s open-borders policies have created vulnerabilities that criminal aliens and gang members exploit to the detriment of American citizens," the report concludes. "The sad fact is that Secretary Mayorkas and the Biden Administration have failed to implement basic screening and vetting measures—such as checking with law enforcement officials in an alien’s home country—to ensure that those entering the U.S. are not dangerous criminals or known gang members.

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At the same time, they continue to tell the American people that illegal aliens encountered along the southwest border are vetted adequately. This callous disregard for the safety of Americans, in the name of expedited alien processing, resulted in the tragic and preventable murder of Kayla Hamilton."

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The Judiciary Committee's Immigration subcommittee is holding a hearing on Tuesday, "The Biden Border Crisis: Part III," which will include testimony from Hamilton's mother, as well as former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott.

A DHS official told Fox News Digital that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reviews both biometric and biographic information for those encountered at the border against several federal agencies' databases. "If we determine that the individuals pose a threat to national security or public safety, we deny admission, detain, remove, or turn them over to another agency for prosecution, as appropriate. We work closely with our interagency and international partners to detect and prevent people who pose national security or public safety risks from entering the United States," the official said.

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Meanwhile, CBP statistics for those encountered at the border show that the percentage of those encountered who have criminal convictions or who are wanted by law enforcement ranges between 0.6 and 1.1%.

The administration has come under fire for its handling of UACs. A series of New York Times reports detailed how HHS was unable to contact over 85,000 minors it transferred to sponsors, and how the administration allegedly ignored an "explosion" of minors being put into the labor force. The administration has also come under criticism from Republicans for relaxing vetting procedures.

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The House Judiciary Republicans said that HHS declined to provide requested materials in full to the committee, citing a concern for the privacy of the suspect accused of the murder, only allowing for a review of the file while being recorded with a camera.

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The report concludes that if DHS and HHS had "adequately vetted" the suspect before he was placed with a sponsor, "the tragedy of Kayla’s murder would have been avoided."

The report comes as immigration and border security have been back in the headlines with the ending of Title 42 and the Biden administration’s efforts to replace the order with regular enforcement. The administration has called for more funding from Congress and for it to pass an immigration reform bill.

Republicans have blamed the crisis on the Biden administration’s policies, including reduced enforcement in the interior and "catch-and-release" policies. The House recently passed a GOP border security and asylum reform bill, which was the product of work from the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs Committees.