In her testimony to Congress on Tuesday, a mother recounted the tragic details of her son, a U.S. Marine veteran, being shot by unauthorized immigrants on their property in South Texas during the Obama administration.
Marie Vega, a legal immigrant from Mexico, shared her family’s terrifying experience during a hearing on “Biden’s Border Betrayal” in front of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.
According to Vega, her family was having a barbecue on their property in La Feria, Texas, when two unauthorized immigrants unexpectedly attacked them in July 2014.
“Our peaceful day turned into a nightmare when two criminal unauthorized immigrants decided to ambush us in an attempt to steal our four-wheel drive trucks. The two individuals got out of the stolen vehicle they were driving and without any warning, started shooting at us,” she revealed.
Her son and husband tried to defend themselves, but tragically, her son, Javier “Harvey” Vega Jr., a former Marine and Border Patrol officer, was fatally shot. Her husband was left with permanent injuries from the incident.
Aside from the physical harm and loss of life, Vega mentioned that she, her daughter-in-law, and young grandchildren were deeply traumatized by the event.
“Open borders have consequences,” Vega emphasized. “And you can see from what I have experienced due to the crimes committed by unauthorized individuals, the pain lingers with us forever.”
She described the incident as a “nightmare,” stating, “If my husband and I hadn’t fought back, the unauthorized individuals would have killed everyone present, leaving no witnesses.”
According to Vega, the two unauthorized immigrants had prior criminal records, had threatened other neighbors in the area, and had been deported before. She expressed struggling with “survivor’s guilt” and difficulty sleeping at night due to the trauma.
“11 years have passed since I lost my son,” she said tearfully. “11 years of reliving the ordeal every waking moment. 11 years of missing out on milestones and celebrations without my son.”
“Unauthorized individuals have had a detrimental impact on American lives,” Vega continued. “They show no regard for human life. As I witnessed firsthand, the individuals who killed Harvey also shot my husband and fired at innocent children and women. Imagine your child or grandchild witnessing such horror.”
She concluded by stating that if immigration laws had been enforced, her son would still be alive. She criticized Barack Obama for failing her family and the nation, urging senators to uphold their oath to protect the Constitution and work together to enforce immigration laws for the safety of all.
