The father of a U.S. Marine killed in a tragic hit-and-run crash is speaking out against calls to abolish the agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws. The victim's father, Martin Martinez-Ballinas, a Mexican national, was arrested by federal authorities for a third time as he faces deportation for reentering the United States illegally.
According to federal officials, Martinez-Ballinas, 38, was convicted in connection with a 2017 crash in Maryland that killed 21-year-old James Ray Walden III, a U.S. Marine. After being deported in 2020, Martinez-Ballinas reentered the U.S. in Texas and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
The victim's father, James Walden, expressed his outrage over the situation and the Biden administration's border policies. He remembered his son as an accomplished Marine and gifted intelligence analyst whose future was cut short. Walden praised President Donald Trump for prioritizing immigration enforcement and credited him with "standing by what he said, and he said what he was going to do and he's doing it."
Walden also pushed back against calls to abolish ICE, stating that it's "got to be one of the most insane ideas I've ever heard." He emphasized that immigration enforcement is crucial in preventing senseless tragedies like the one that took his son's life. "You're never gonna understand the pain, the hole in your soul that this brings until it happens to you," he said.
The tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of immigration enforcement and the devastating consequences of ignoring the law. The victim's family demands that politicians take responsibility for their actions and prioritize the safety and security of American citizens.
