Joni Ernst: “I am very sad that we are on the floor today and that Sarah's Law has been objected to. We have been down this road…”

“I am very sad that we are on the floor today and that Sarah's Law has been objected to. We have been down this road before, many times over, through the years since Sarah Root's death. Now, I do understand that ICE has discretion, and that is what we are discussing today. It is the fact that ICE had discretion and chose to allow Edwin Mejia to post bond of $5,000 to disappear into the night. Before Sarah was even laid to rest, Edwin Mejia was long gone, and he has yet to face justice for Sarah's family. In July 2020, a Mexican national was drunk-driving in Texas and struck and killed a Chicago resident and two retired U.S. Army officers. All were part of a pro-law enforcement motorcycle club. The Mexican national was out on bond and awaiting trial for allegedly striking a man with his truck in 2018, biting the victim's back, and biting off a portion of his ear. If Sarah's Law had been on the books, he would have been detained in 2018 to await trial. In June 2011, a Chicago resident was killed in a drunk-driving accident. The driver, a Mexican national, was driving with a blood alcohol level four times over the legal limit. He struck and killed a Chicago resident, dragged the victim's body 300 feet, and then attempted to run away on foot. He was bailed out--again, bailed out, not held. He bailed out and fled to Mexico. He was extradited back to the United States in 2022.…”