Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said the quiet part out loud, proclaiming that Fletcher Harris, a 20-year-old college soccer player, and his 19-year-old girlfriend, Skylar Provenza, would be alive today if not for illegal immigration. Juan Alvarado Aguilar, an illegal alien, has been taken into custody by authorities and is being charged in Rowan County with two counts of death by a vehicle and a single count of drunk driving.
Aguilar is also currently subject to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer as well. Local law enforcement said that the man was behind the wheel of his truck when he crossed lanes and slammed into Harris, who was driving his vehicle while Provenza was in the passenger seat. Both were killed in the crash.
Noem, who gave a statement on the incident to Breitbart News, stated that Aguilar shouldn’t have even been on U.S. soil due to his temporary work visa, which was issued in March 2020 was expired, but stayed in the country instead of leaving as he was required. “Fletcher and Skylar had their whole lives ahead of them. They would still be with us today if not for Juan Alvarado-Aguilar, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, who chose to recklessly drive drunk on our roads,” Noem said in a statement.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, dangerous foreign criminals with no right to be in the U.S. are being arrested and removed daily,” Noem continued, according to the report. “ICE has lodged an arrest detainer with the Rowan County Jail to ensure this criminal is not allowed back into our communities and is removed from the U.S. once and for all.”
ICE has lodged a detainer against Aguilar, seeking to take him into custody should he at any time be released from Rowan County Jail. Harris was earning a reputation for himself on the soccer field while attending Catawba College, with a double major in biology and environmental studies. Harris was also on the Presidential Honor Roll and Dean’s List.
According to Provenza’s obituary, the young woman was referred to as a “natural born leader” who “was beauty wrapped in kindness, laughter, with a spirit that felt like sunshine.” Both Provenza and Harris were, the obituary said, “soulmates.” The Department of Homeland Security put out their own statement regarding the tragedy.
“The Trump administration is once again putting Americans first and standing up for law and order by reinstating the VOICE office at ICE. The office was first launched in 2017 by the Trump administration as a dedicated resource for those who have been victimized by crime that has a nexus to immigration. Victims and family members of victims of crime may receive support by calling: 1-855-48-VOICE (1-855-488-6423),” the statement read.
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A growing memorial has been set up on the spot where the two young people lost their lives at the hands of Aguilar. Both of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. During the crash, Harris was ejected from the vehicle and thrown through the front windshield. According to PEOPLE, Aguilar, as of this writing, has not yet been assigned a public defender.
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