Slain girls family demands immigration crackdown, Houston Chronicle, August 13, 2010
Family members of a teen gunned down last week railed against Americas immigration policy on Friday after learning one of the suspected gunmen was in the country illegally.
Melvin Alvarado, 22, and Jonathan Lopez-Torres, 18, have been charged with capital murder in the Aug. 7 shooting death of 14-year-old Shatavia Anderson.
Immigration officials have said Alvarado was deported in April 2008 and again in May 2009.
Shatavias uncle, Joe Lambert, said the countrys policy on immigration is a big problem.
Its really senseless, what happened to my niece, and I do not like it. Lambert said. Theyre starting to come over here and they can do whatever they want. What youre doing is giving them a green light telling them, Hey, you can do whatever you want.
Lopez-Torres is a lawful permanent resident from Honduras.
The two men appeared Friday in court, where relatives of Anderson donned memorial T-shirts and called for tougher enforcement of immigration laws.
I would like to see what theyre doing in Arizona done here, Lambert said, referring to recent laws targeting illegal immigration in the Grand Canyon state.