(Boise, Idaho) – Nearly a month after an 8-year-old girl was killed in a Boise traffic collision, the case is drawing renewed national attention as lawmakers and federal officials point to it as a stark example of how Obama-era immigration policies and sanctuary-state laws continue to impact public safety.
Police say Elvin Elgardo Ramos-Caballero struck and killed Mora Gerety, 8, on Nov. 11 while making a right-hand turn at an intersection as the child was crossing the street. At the time of the crash, Ramos-Caballero was driving legally under a license issued by the sanctuary state of Oregon – despite being in the country illegally and under a standing federal deportation order.
Federal records show Ramos-Caballero entered the U.S. during the Obama administration and later failed to appear for an immigration hearing. In May 2019, an immigration judge ordered him removed from the country in absentia. That order was never enforced. Instead, he remained free – and licensed to drive – until the fatal crash.
“Mora Gerety’s classmates, teachers, friends, and our nation will carry this loss forever. We ask every American to lift this family up in prayer and we ask God to grant them the courage as they face the hardest days a family can endure…” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
“8-year-old Mora Gerety’s precious life was taken by an illegal alien who should have never been in our country, let alone issued a driver’s license by the sanctuary state of Oregon,”
The case has resurfaced amid a broader push by Republican lawmakers to crack down on sanctuary-state licensing practices, particularly as federal and state task forces uncover more illegal immigrants operating vehicles – including commercial trucks – across the country. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., has cited the Boise crash while calling for tougher federal oversight and accountability.
Donalds pointed to a recent ICE–Oklahoma Highway Patrol operation that resulted in 70 arrests, including 34 illegal immigrants accused of unlawfully driving commercial vehicles. He also referenced multiple fatal crashes nationwide involving drivers who were illegally present but licensed by states with permissive policies.
“You have families following the law, trusting the system, and they’re the ones paying the price,” Donalds said. “This is exactly why federal action is overdue.”
As the Gerety family continues to grieve, the Boise case is increasingly being cited as part of a larger national debate – not just about immigration enforcement, but about whether policies put in place years ago are still quietly endangering American communities today.
