Minneola, N.Y.—Two MS-13 gang members were sentenced for the brutal 2017 murder of a Long Island teen. The sentencing is another of a series of attempts to curtail the functions of the Mara Salvatrucha 13. The international gang has been emboldened by the Biden Administration’s “open-borders” policy. At no time have the effects of unfettered immigration been more clear.
The victim of the incident that evening told a family member he was on his way home from a deli in Uniondale, but he never returned home. Carlos Rivas-Majano was allegedly perceived to be an enemy of the gang, which is typical of most MS-13 attacks. Rivas-Majano was then lured into the woods near the Meadowbrook Parkway and Glenn Curtiss Boulevard in Uniondale, where he was ultimately hacked and stabbed to death by gang members welding machetes.
The two perpetrators Luis Alejandro Varela also known as “Felon,” and William Reyes-Fuentes or “Desobediente,” were originally charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy. Varela was sentenced to 21 years to life, and Reyes-Fuentes was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
“MS-13 members Luis Alejandro Varela and William Reyes-Fuentes participated in one of the most violent murders this country has ever seen,” said Nassau DA Anne Donnelly in a press release. “The defendants and their co-conspirators mercilessly hacked Carlos Rivas-Majano to death and left his body in a nearly inaccessible place near the Meadowbrook Parkway.”
Co-defendants Carlos Benitez-Hernandez also known as “Malaspecto” and Jose Quintanilla-Cruz or “Destructo” and Nerlin Chacon-Ruano or “Callajero” still have charges pending. Another co-defendant, Edgar Ventura, was previously sentenced to 32 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of murder and other related charges for the deaths of Rivas-Majano and Alexon Moya.
The spotlight on a seemingly borderless nation has been targeted by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and his recent shipping of migrants to various “sanctuary” cities in the Northeast. Governor Abbott has faced criticism from New York City mayor Eric Adams and Mayor Muriel Bowser of D.C.. Both have requested additional federal aid to deal with the migrant influx without acknowledging the problems at the southern border.
“We need help, and we’re reaching out to the federal government to tell them that we need help,” said Mayor Adams over the weekend. The Department of Defense responded by denying Mayor Bowser’s request to mobilize the National Guard to assist with the migrant crisis in Washington.
At the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly asserted that Governor Abbott was at fault, claiming his actions are costing Texas taxpayers $1.5 million. Jean-Pierre’s deflection of the border crisis demonstrates a lack of understanding of immigration, the importance of border security, and vetting. Only when it has affected Democrats on a personal level have they taken action or sought accountability, as Mayor Bowser is now doing.
Governor Abbott plans to bus another 5,100 migrants to D.C. in the months to come. His messaging may seem obtuse, but it has certainly garnered the attention of Democrats and the so-called “progressives.”
Locally for Texans, the migrant crisis has never been so evident. Del Rio and Rio Grande Valley border sectors accounted for nearly 8,000 migrant encounters just over the last Memorial Day weekend. The Del Rio Sector had 1,652 “gotaways,” 10 deaths, and 16 criminals, according to Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens. That just takes into account two sectors of the southern border.
CBP data has not been updated since June, which accounted for 207,416 encounters for that month. If the Del Rio and Rio Grande Valley are any predictors of the border crisis, we can expect numbers of “gotaways” up to 86,000, with 500 deaths and 800 criminals. These numbers are extrapolations of existing data and represent a forecast, although it should be noted migrant encounters typically decrease as the summer months end.