A murder case in southwest Missouri’s Springfield has led to call for tougher actions against illegal immigrants that commit crimes.
Several law enforcement personnel and some elected leaders took part in a press conference last week, during which they highlighted the killing of Miles Young, 15. The suspect is Yefrey Archaga, 18, a Honduran national who grew up in Missouri but is not a U.S. citizen.
Among those participating in the press conference was U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. 7th District. During a separate appearance on Missourinet affiliate KZRG radio in Joplin, Burlison blamed past immigration policies in part for Young’s murder last month.
“We had open borders for four years, complete open borders. And now we have people that are in this country who were violent criminals,” Burlison said. “You know, Miles Young should be alive today. He’s not, he’s not, because we had, there’s someone here, illegal, who was a violent criminal, who should have been taken and deported, but he wasn’t.”
But Archaga’s attorney, Adam Woody, is pushing back.
“It’s a very unfortunate situation involving teenagers, multiple teenagers with firearms,” Woody told Missourinet. “That’s the real issue here. It has nothing to do with immigration.”
He said that his client was brought to the U.S. from Honduras, growing up in Southwest City, Missouri.
“He’s been here for 12 years, 11 or 12 years,” Woody said. “He moved here with his parents when he was six or seven years old, went to school in Missouri, was essentially raised in Missouri, and he’s lived here in Springfield for a year.”
Woody accuses several politicians and investigators of using his client’s immigration status to taint the jury pool.
Teen in Springfield homicide case could face adult charges
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old girl arrested in the death of Miles Young will have a hearing to determine whether she will stand trial as an adult under Missouri law.
According to reporting from NewsNation in Springfield, law enforcement said she’s charged with what would be first degree murder if committed by an adult. Prosecutors allege the teen helped to plan a setup that led to Young being shot and killed. She remains in juvenile custody. No date has been set for the hearing.
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