Fiance of woman killed in crash with undocumented immigrant says President Trump called him
An Arleta man whose fiancee was killed in a car crash last month allegedly by an undocumented immigrant who had been deported five times said he has received words of encouragement from President Donald Trump.
Rodrigo Macias appeared on the television news program “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning to discuss the death of his fiancee, Sandra Duran, 42.
After appearing on the program, Macias said he received a telephone call from Trump, who offered him and the family his condolences and urged them to “stay strong.” Trump also said he’s fighting hard to secure the nation’s borders and to combat sanctuary cities.
“It tells you a lot about this president,” Macias, a real estate broker, said during a telephone interview with the Southern California News Group on Wednesday evening. “You can’t have the local mayor do that, but the president of the U.S. went out of his way to do that. I’m very glad my fiancée and I voted for him. In fact, I’m extremely happy.”
• RELATED STORY: ‘He had no right to be here’: Family faces undocumented immigrant charged in woman’s death
Macias, 39, also complained about Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Police Chief Charlie Beck and city policies that offer protections to those living in the country illegally.
“I said (on the show) that the possibility of the president of the U.S. calling me first are probably better than the mayor or chief (of police) reaching out to me at this point, and that’s exactly what happened,” Macias added.
Garcetti did not directly respond to Macias’ criticism, but offered the family his condolences.
“Nothing compares to the pain of losing a loved one. My thoughts and prayers are with Sandra Duran’s family at this agonizing time,” Garcetti said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Los Angeles has never officially declared itself a sanctuary city.
But as the White House cracks down on undocumented immigrants, Garcetti and Beck have said the city does not plan to get involved in any deportation efforts by the federal government. They also said the city will continue a long-standing policy that prevents police officers from asking about a person’s immigration status.
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Fiance of woman killed in crash with undocumented immigrant says President Trump called him
An Arleta man whose fiancee was killed in a car crash last month allegedly by an undocumented immigrant who had been deported five times said he has received words of encouragement from President Donald Trump.
Rodrigo Macias appeared on the television news program “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning to discuss the death of his fiancee, Sandra Duran, 42.
After appearing on the program, Macias said he received a telephone call from Trump, who offered him and the family his condolences and urged them to “stay strong.” Trump also said he’s fighting hard to secure the nation’s borders and to combat sanctuary cities.
“It tells you a lot about this president,” Macias, a real estate broker, said during a telephone interview with the Southern California News Group on Wednesday evening. “You can’t have the local mayor do that, but the president of the U.S. went out of his way to do that. I’m very glad my fiancée and I voted for him. In fact, I’m extremely happy.”
• RELATED STORY: ‘He had no right to be here’: Family faces undocumented immigrant charged in woman’s death
Macias, 39, also complained about Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Police Chief Charlie Beck and city policies that offer protections to those living in the country illegally.
“I said (on the show) that the possibility of the president of the U.S. calling me first are probably better than the mayor or chief (of police) reaching out to me at this point, and that’s exactly what happened,” Macias added.
Garcetti did not directly respond to Macias’ criticism, but offered the family his condolences.
“Nothing compares to the pain of losing a loved one. My thoughts and prayers are with Sandra Duran’s family at this agonizing time,” Garcetti said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Los Angeles has never officially declared itself a sanctuary city.
But as the White House cracks down on undocumented immigrants, Garcetti and Beck have said the city does not plan to get involved in any deportation efforts by the federal government. They also said the city will continue a long-standing policy that prevents police officers from asking about a person’s immigration status.
Macias railed against such policies Wednesday, saying he’d like to see mayors of so-called sanctuary cities “get their act” together.
“Otherwise, I hope (Trump) cuts their funding,” he said. “I think that’s the only way he’s going to fix it.”
• RELATED PHOTOS: Preliminary Hearing for Estuardo Alvarado
Macias said he had been in a relationship with Sandra Duran for 13 years. Together, they had a 12-year-old son. Duran also had an 18-year-old son from a previous marriage, he said.
Duran was killed on Feb. 19 in North Hills.
Estuardo Alvarado, 45, the man who allegedly caused the collision, was speeding down Sepulveda Boulevard as he tried to flee the scene of another crash and slammed into a car being driven by Duran, according to Los Angeles police.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a statement after the collision that Alvarado, a Mexican national, has been on their radar for years.
“Department of Homeland Security databases indicate Mr. Alvarado has been removed to Mexico five times since 1998, most recently in 2011,” ICE spokesperson Virginia Kice said.
• RELATED STORY: Immigrant charged in crash was deported 5 times, family says victim’s death ‘could have been prevented’
Alvarado, who made a court appearance Tuesday in San Fernando, is being held at the Men’s Central Jail on $2.18 million bail in connection with the fatal collision. His bail was initially set at $2.23 million but was reduced during his latest court appearance.
He has pleaded not guilty to each of the five felony charges in the case, including murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and is scheduled to return to court on April 18.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Staff writers Brenda Gazzar and Elizabeth Chou contributed to this report.
ias railed against such policies Wednesday, saying he’d like to see mayors of so-called sanctuary cities “get their act” together.
“Otherwise, I hope (Trump) cuts their funding,” he said. “I think that’s the only way he’s going to fix it.”
• RELATED PHOTOS: Preliminary Hearing for Estuardo Alvarado
Macias said he had been in a relationship with Sandra Duran for 13 years. Together, they had a 12-year-old son. Duran also had an 18-year-old son from a previous marriage, he said.
Duran was killed on Feb. 19 in North Hills.
Estuardo Alvarado, 45, the man who allegedly caused the collision, was speeding down Sepulveda Boulevard as he tried to flee the scene of another crash and slammed into a car being driven by Duran, according to Los Angeles police.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a statement after the collision that Alvarado, a Mexican national, has been on their radar for years.
“Department of Homeland Security databases indicate Mr. Alvarado has been removed to Mexico five times since 1998, most recently in 2011,” ICE spokesperson Virginia Kice said.
• RELATED STORY: Immigrant charged in crash was deported 5 times, family says victim’s death ‘could have been prevented’
Alvarado, who made a court appearance Tuesday in San Fernando, is being held at the Men’s Central Jail on $2.18 million bail in connection with the fatal collision. His bail was initially set at $2.23 million but was reduced during his latest court appearance.
He has pleaded not guilty to each of the five felony charges in the case, including murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and is scheduled to return to court on April 18.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Staff writers Brenda Gazzar and Elizabeth Chou contributed to this report.
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