(Texas Scorecard) – An illegal alien has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after driving recklessly and killing a college student in Virginia.
Lauryn Ni’Kole Leonard, a 19-year-old college student, was driving to her off-campus apartment when Elvis Jamir Cruz-Ferrera collided with Leonard’s car, killing her upon impact. 18-year-old Cruz-Ferrera survived the crash with minor injuries according to local reports.
Cruz-Ferrera illegally crossed the border into McAllen, Texas as an unaccompanied minor at 11 years old, according to James Covington, a spokesperson for ICE’s northeast region.
According to Covington, Cruz-Ferrera was then transferred to an ICE facility in San Antonio where he was given a court date and released. He did not appear in Dallas for his hearing in 2018 when an immigration judge ordered his deportation.
Cruz-Ferrera had made his way to Virginia where he was living with his family, at the time of the crash. He had numerous encounters with law enforcement concerning driving without a license and reckless driving before the incident.
One instance included a law enforcement stop last year when Cruz-Ferrera was caught driving 85 mph in a 60 mph zone.
The deceased’s brother, Erick Hargrove, spoke to a local news source about the fatal crash, expressing that his sister had a bright future and felt the tragedy could have been avoided.
“I don’t want to say anything that sounds far-right or far-left,” Hargrove said. “But I would just say that it’s a possibility that this wouldn’t have happened if the deportation happened when it was supposed to.”
Covington told Texas Scorecard that Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington D.C. will seek to take custody of Cruz-Ferrera pending the resolution of his local criminal charges.
Cruz-Ferrera may face up to ten years in prison for the manslaughter charge.