‘Behind every one of these crimes is a victim and their family left to rebuild their lives after unimaginable loss, suffering, and brutality,’ an official said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Aug. 6 commemorated the victims of fatalities and serious crimes committed this year by illegal immigrants in the United States.
“For too long, politicians turned a blind eye to the suffering of American citizens while protecting criminal illegal aliens. That ended on January 20,” the department’s Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an Aug. 6 statement.
“Under President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem, DHS is standing with the victims—not depraved criminal illegal aliens,” she added.
DHS honored “the strength and resilience” of the victims and their families affected by crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
“Behind every one of these crimes is a victim and their family left to rebuild their lives after unimaginable loss, suffering, and brutality,” McLaughlin said.
Among the victims remembered in the statement are girls, adolescents, women, and men, including officials and ICE officers.
Luis Jocsan Nanez López, 15, was shot and killed on July 20 while trying to protect his mother from an attempted rape, allegedly by Mexican national Gildardo Amandor-Martínez in Kentucky. Amandor-Martínez also allegedly assaulted Luis’s sister with a firearm. Martinez made two failed attempts to enter the United States, but on the third attempt, he was able to enter at an unknown date and location.
Megan Bos, 37, was found decapitated in a bleach-filled container in Illinois in April, after being reported missing on March 9. The alleged perpetrator was identified as Luis Mendoza-González, from Mexico.
Santiago López Morales, 48, was murdered at a Motel 6 in Garland, Texas, in June 2025. DHS confirmed that the suspects in the crime are three Venezuelan men identified as Yosguar Aponte-Jiménez, José Trivino-Cruz, and Jesús Bellorín-Guzmán.
Hallie Helgeson, 18, and Brady Heiling, 19, died in a car crash in Wisconsin in 2025, caused by a suspected drunk driver, Noelia Saray Martínez-Avila, from Honduras.
Maria Pleitez, 42, and her 11-year-old daughter, Dayanara, died in a car crash in New Jersey in 2025. Mexican national Raúl Luna-Pérez is suspected of driving under the influence and causing the deaths.
