From migrant crime to abortion, Biden and Trump highlight issues for 2024 voters

WASHINGTON (TND) — One of the two men now facing murder charges appeared in a Harris County, Texas courtroom Monday.

Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, along with Johan Jose Rangel Martinez are charged in the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was seen in surveillance footage with the suspects. Her body was later found in a creek.

During a press conference Monday, Harris County Texas District AttorneyKim Ogg provided more details.

“This victim was found bound without clothing from the waist down, in the water," Ogg said.

The bail was set at $10 million for Pena-Ramos. Harris County District Court Judge Josh Hill reportedly told the courtroom that Pena-Ramos' bail was set high because the chance of him fleeing was "astronomical."Rangel-Martinez is expected in court for his bond hearing on Tuesday. Prosecutors are asking for his bail to also be set a $10 million.

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According to the Medical Examiner, the cause of death was strangulation.

Both men were migrants from Venezuela caught by border patrol and released into the United States, according to an ICE Spokesperson.

ICE Statement to Sinclair:

On June 20, officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston lodged immigration detainers with the Harris County (Texas) Jail on Johan Jose Martinez Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, both illegally present Venezuelan nationals, following their arrest for capital murder.

Martinez and Pena both illegally entered the U.S. without inspection, parole or admission by a U.S. immigration officer on an unknown date and at an unknown location. On March 14, Martinez was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas. That same day, Border Patrol released Martinez on an order of recognizance with a notice to appear. Pena was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 28 near El Paso. He was also released by Border Patrol the same day he was apprehended on an order of recognizance with a notice to appear.

Former President Donald Trump has weighed in, as part of a strategy to keep voters' eyes focused on the issues at the Southern border.

“These monsters should have never been in our country and if I were president they would have not been in our country," Trump said.

His supporters also blame the Biden Administration for what they call a growing trend of crimes committed by undocumented migrants.

"When Secretary Mayorkas changed the rules saying you don't have to detain aggravated felons as required under federal law, that is when all this started," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said in an interview with Fox News Monday.

Over the last year, polls have shown the border is a top issue for voters, along with the economy.

They are two issues Trump has vowed to bring up at Thursday night’s debate.

President Biden’s campaign meanwhile has been laser-focused on the issue of reproductive healthcare. This week’s second anniversary of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade brings it even more to the forefront.

During an event in College Park, Maryland Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “Today, our daughters know fewer rights than their grandmothers. This is a health care crisis."

Despite it ranking somewhat lower in the polls for voters, it's part of an effort by the Biden campaign, holding multiple events across the country and also out with a new campaign ad focused not just on decreased access to abortion, but how changed state laws impact healthcare overall.

In the latest ad, a woman said, "I was right around 11 weeks when I had a miscarriage.I was turned away from two emergency rooms that was a direct result of Donald Trump's overturned Roe v Wade."

The Biden team has also been warning of a country consumed by chaos with a diminished image on the world stage, should Trump win a second term in office.

The latest polls show the two candidates essentially tied, just days ahead of the first debate.