Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that an illegal alien fugitive accused of killing a 21-year-old woman while street racing ...
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that an illegal alien fugitive accused of killing a 21-year-old woman while street racing and driving under the influence has been extradited to the United States from Honduras.
Rubio said that Eswin Mejia, who fled the United States after being charged in the death of Sarah Root, would soon be facing American justice. Root was killed in 2016 on the night of her college graduation after police said that Mejia drunkenly crashed his vehicle into her vehicle at a stoplight as he was street racing in Omaha.
Mejia fled the country in 2016 after he was charged and released on a $5,000 bond, but was arrested in Honduras late last month.
“President Trump has never forgotten or stopped fighting for justice after Sarah Root was tragically murdered in 2016 by an illegal alien who was driving under the influence and became a fugitive from justice,” Rubio said in a statement.
“Today, nine years after Sarah’s passing the night of her college graduation, her parents will know that their tireless advocacy was not in vain. Justice and accountability under the Trump Administration prevailed as the culprit of Sarah’s death has been extradited from Honduras to the United States so he can face justice once and for all,” Rubio added, thanking the Honduran government for its cooperation.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem posted a picture on X showing Mejia in American custody.
“Thanks to the hard work of our Homeland Security Investigation and our interagency law enforcement partners, Eswin Mejia, who fled the US to evade prosecution, will finally face justice for the killing of Sarah Root,” Noem said. “Sarah should still be here today and this illegal alien should have never been in our country in the first place.”
Sarah’s parents, Scott and Michelle Root, have been outspoken advocates for tougher immigration laws since the tragic death of their daughter.
“Nobody in our family thought we were ever going to see justice for Sarah,” Michelle told KETV after Mejia was first arrested last month. “Yesterday was unreal, surreal, it was emotional as people can imagine.”
“Until we get to hug our daughter again up in heaven, we don’t get that closure. But it closes another piece of that unfortunate puzzle that we were trying to accomplish,” Michelle added.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed a measure known as “Sarah’s Law” into effect. The measure, which requires illegal aliens who have committed violent crimes against Americans to be detained, was added as an amendment to the Laken Riley Act.
“The Trump administration never forgot Sarah Root’s story. Together, we fought for justice to hold the illegal immigrant who took her life accountable. Iowans and every American know that this administration will always put our citizens first,” said Senator Joni Ernst, who advocated for Sarah’s Law, after the announcement of the extradition.
Other Republicans also celebrated the extradition of Mejia.
“President Trump and Secretary Rubio are showing that if you harm an American citizen there is no place you can run and hide,” the House Foreign Affairs Committee said on X. “No matter how long it takes, we will hunt you down and get justice.”