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Reply to "Suspect in crash that killed Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson was in US illegally, had been deported twice"

Activists and politicians on various sides of the national debate over immigration reform took to the internet Monday to wax political following the news that the man arrested for the drunk driving death of Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and Uber driver Jeffrey Monroe is in the country illegally.

Supporters of stricter border security called for harsher immigration laws and renewed their call to build a wall on the southern border. Supporters of reforms that would allow undocumented immigrants — and especially children — a path toward citizenship cautioned lawmakers not to conflate criminals with law-abiding children. 

The ongoing debate — fought in dueling social media posts and releases — intensified when Indiana State Police detectives announced that the driver, Manuel Orrego-Savala, a 37-year-old Guatemalan citizen, had twice been deported. ISP also said Orrego-Saval gave authorities the alias Alex Cabrera Gonsales after the early Sunday crash.

"It's so unfortunate what happened, this is very, very sad," said Ana Kotchkoski, president of the Venezuelan Association of Indiana.

▶︎ How Colts' Edwin Jackson died: Everything you need to know

Kotchkoski's organization regularly lobbies for "Dreamers" and DACA recipients. 

The DACA program was formed through an executive order by former President Barack Obama in 2012 and allowed certain people who came to the U.S. illegally as minors to be protected from immediate deportation. 

"I agree with current law that punishes people who do not follow the law," Kotchoski said. "This goes against everything were trying to fight for and pursue for DACA." 

Michael Joyce, Indiana communications director for the Republican National Committee, issued the following statement:

“The tragic passing of Edwin Jackson and Jeffrey Monroe should not be lost on Hoosiers. Their lives were taken by a twice-deported illegal immigrant who was not only two times the legal limit to drive, but attempted to flee the scene of the crime in a cowardly fashion. These horrific events only further underscore the need for immigration reform and stronger border security measures that can further prevent these tragedies from happening in the future.”

 
Indianapolis Colts inside linebacker Edwin Jackson
 

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