This time, the death of an innocent American at the hands of an illegal immigrant was not intentional, though that hardly exonerates Norlan Estrada-Reyes. The 27-year-old Honduran — who was deported in 2007, then returned illegally to the U.S., where he was arrested twice — is guilty this time of fleeing from the scene of an accident that claimed the life of 28-year-old Denver attorney Karina Pulec.
According to the Denver Post, on Oct. 30, 2016, the truck Estrada-Reyes was was driving struck and killed Pulec as she was crossed the street. Pulec, who died instantly, was dragged her 50 feet before Estrada-Reyes drove off without stopping. Police found the pickup less than a mile away, unoccupied though still in drive.
Adding to the outrageous nature of the story is that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not aware of Estrada-Reyes’s 2014 arrest for driving under the influence.
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In addition:
Estrada-Reyes’ [sic] case is the second in the past four months in which a person in the country illegally, who had previous run-ins with police, has been accused in a Denver killing. They feed into the national debate about immigration that heated up Tuesday with the release of documents showing plans by President Donald Trump’s administration to widely expand the number of people who are considered a priority for deportation.
The documents referred to include two implementation memos released Monday by the Department of Homeland Security that indicate the department’s intention to enforce the president’s January travel ban, a revised version of which is due out any time now. One of the memos, which appears to suggest that illegals that enter the U.S. through Mexico will be detained there rather than sent to their countries of origin, would apply to cases like Estrada-Reyes’s. The language in the memo has also spawned unjustified fears that the Trump administration will up internment camps along the southern border.
In the meantime, a newly released poll finds that 80% of Americans stand opposed to the idea of sanctuary cities.
