Police in Midland, Texas, have arrested an illegal immigrant and charged him with causing an accident that led to the death of a 10-year-old boy. 

Rogelio Ortiz-Olivas, 50, allegedly hit young Alex “A.J.” Wise, Jr. with his car before fleeing the scene. The migrant was apprehended several miles down the road from where the accident took place.  

The tragedy struck in the late afternoon on Thursday February 8, when Ortiz-Olivas hit Wise while driving a black truck. Wise was walking across the street near his school— IDEA Travis in the Midland Independent School District—which is only hours away from the United States and Mexican border. 

By the next morning, the city confirmed to a local news outlet that Wise had died after being air-lifted to a hospital in Lubbock for treatment. The county’s Sheriff David Criner also confirmed that Ortiz-Olivas was in the custody of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Criner later told a local CBS affiliate that the suspect is being held on an immigration detainer, which enables local and state law enforcement agencies to transfer a suspect to the oversight of ICE. Wise’s alleged killer was reportedly using the name Juan Ortiz Perez. 

Later, Ortiz-Olivas was placed in jail in Midland County, where he is being held on an ICE detainer and a $100,000 bond. He faces third-degree felony charges of “driver negligence” and “hit and run” that resulted in death. 

According to officials, Ortiz-Olivas has been deported from the United States on five previous occasions following a voluntary removal which first returned him to Mexico. The hit-and-run caused by an illegal immigrant has sparked outrage from conservative Americans who have long argued against the risky migration policies at the Southern border. 

Amid the rising number of tragic deaths in Texas that are caused by illegal immigrants, state lawmakers are calling for the Biden administration to reform its border policies. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) reacted to Wise’s death by posting a photo of Ortiz-Olivas in an orange jumpsuit and explaining why he had been arrested.  

“How many more Americans have to die before Joe Biden secures the border?” he wrote.  

This is Rogelio Ortiz, an illegal alien who’s been deported 5 times.

He’s been arrested for killing a 10-year-old Texas boy who was walking home from school.

How many more Americans have to die before Joe Biden secures the border? pic.twitter.com/p9YlNnCjEe

— Congressman Troy E. Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) February 12, 2024

And Nehls is not alone in his efforts to protect Texas residents from migrant criminals. His fellow Republican, Sen. Ted Cruz, has also publicly criticized the Biden administration’s notorious “open border” policies.  

Days before the tragedy in Midland, Cruz blasted a bipartisan immigration bill in a press conference that he said would “codify” the policies that have allowed illegal aliens to run rampant in the United States, bringing illegal drugs and criminal acts that have led to many injuries and deaths of American citizens.