Americans are paying a heavy price for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' open borders, from everything from schools and hospitals being overrun to violent crimes being committed. It is bad enough when ordinary Americans going about their lives encounter one of those people who are not "just here for a better life," but it becomes particularly heinous when it involves law enforcement.

Press reporting that the criminal who mowed down Officer David Lee yesterday was an illegal. “At the time of his last arrest, police said he was living in the country illegally.” https://t.co/9cjqt18fR7

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) September 23, 2024

On a rainy Sunday morning, St. Louis Police Officer David Lee was working a crash along Interstate 70 heading into the city. Lee was behind his police cruiser, picking up traffic cones, when another driver lost control of his vehicle and hit Officer Lee. The person involved in the original crash was an off-duty firefighter and quickly got on Lee's radio to call for help.

On Monday, 24-year-old Ramon A. Chavez Rodriguez was charged with DWI, Death of law enforcement or emergency personnel, speeding, and driving without a license. Chavez-Rodriguez was driving roughly 71 mph in a 55 mph zone five seconds before he hit Lee. Lee was pinned between Chavez-Rodriguez's vehicle and the vehicle from the original crash and then thrown several feet. Chavez-Rodriguez's blood alcohol content was .10 two hours after he plowed into Officer Lee. Chavez-Rodriguez was on probation in neighboring St. Charles County for domestic assault and DWI charges. But the "best" part, at the time of his last arrest, St. Charles County police say he is an illegal immigrant. 

It is the second such incident in the St. Louis area in a year. Five days before Christmas 2023, 11-year-old Travis Wolfe was killed when Endrina Bracho slammed into his family's Jeep. At the time of the head-on crash, Bracho was traveling 70 mph in a 40 mph zone. It was also the day before Travis's twelfth birthday. Bracho was in the country illegally from Venezuela.

We are all mourning the tragic loss of St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer David Lee.

We invite the St. Louis community to pay respects at North Patrol as we honor Officer Lee. #SLMPD pic.twitter.com/XDQ1RSdAzU

— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) September 22, 2024

The open-border crowd continues to argue that illegal immigrants commit less crime than homegrown American criminals. But, as usual, they are missing the point entirely. The only state that has tracked illegal immigrant crime for over a decade is Texas. What the data shows is truly alarming, and the numbers don't lie. The most up-to-date data shows that between June 1, 2011, and June 30, 2024, 441,000 noncitizen criminals have been booked in Texas for crimes. Of these, 312,000 were classified as illegal noncitizens. Some of the most violent offenses include 1,604 murder charges, 93,704 assaults, 1,630 kidnapping charges, and 9,328 sexual assaults. This is just in Texas.

The damage that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have done to the country has already been done and is incalculable. Lives have been lost, and crimes committed that never should have happened. Officer David Lee leaves behind a wife and two children. He also leaves extended family, friends, and his brothers and sisters in blue. Have Joe Biden and Kamala Harris facilitated the invasion of illegal immigrants for nothing more than what they believe to be future voters and perpetual power in exchange for the lives of Americans, including law enforcement officers? 

Officer David Lee, like his fellow officers, knew that the possibility of giving the ultimate sacrifice comes with the job, yet they go out every day to protect and serve their communities. Americans should be getting tired of people like Officer David Lee becoming collateral damage.

My heart breaks for the family, friends, and colleagues of St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officer David Lee, who was tragically killed by an individual who was in this country illegally.

This devastating loss serves as a harsh reminder of the real consequences of a…

— Andrew Bailey (@AndrewBaileyMO) September 23, 2024