The drunk driving crash that killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver on Super Bowl Sunday is evidence that the nation's border security strategy is not working, Rep. Martha McSally said Wednesday.
"This is a horrible situation that should never have happened," the Arizona Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" about the accident, which has been blamed on a twice-deported illegal immigrant.
"This is another case of somebody who shouldn't be in our country, and now two lives have been lost," she added.
Manuel Orrego-Savala, 37, who came into the United States illegally from Guatemala, has been charged with four felony counts related to the Sunday crash along Interstate 70 in Indianapolis. He had been deported in 2007 and 2009 and was once again living in the U.S. illegally, according to investigators.
The county is aware of the Sunday deaths because of Jackson's status as a professional football player, but there are many other similar cases, said McSally.
"Kate Steinle's killer was deported five times," said McSally. "Recent studies have shown some people deported up to 40 times. Our border security strategy of the past is not working. Our immigration policies are not working."
The lawmaker said she is glad to have, with President Donald Trump, a leader who is highlighting the issues and is willing to work with Congress to stop other incidents.
She said she would encourage Democrats to negotiate with her fellow Republicans, as there are issues everyone should be concerned about.
"When the president has put out his proposal recently and the Democrats gave some extreme responses to that, it seemed that it showed they really didn't want to solve the problem," she said. "Our bill in the House, which addresses these important issues, is moving forward. We have a lot of momentum. The president supports it and we have to get this thing across the finish line."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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