It's Time': Mother of Police Officer Killed By Illegal Immigrant Pens Open Letter to GOP Candidates

The mother of a police officer who was killed by an illegal immigrant is asking each of the remaining Republican presidential candidates to acknowledge the lives lost at the hands of illegal immigrants and to be an "advocate" for the victims and their families.

"It's just a familiar story, over and over," said Mary Ann Mendoza, whose son, Brandon, was killed in a head-on collision with a drunk driver — an illegal immigrant who had been in the U.S. for 20 years — in 2014.

Mendoza penned an open letter, in partnership with the Remembrance Project, asking for the Republican presidential candidates — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and businessman Donald Trump — to acknowledge the burdens that befall the victims of illegal immigrant crimes and their families.

"[I'm] asking for the next president to acknowledge that the victims of this illegal criminal crime, we're left, really, with picking up the pieces, with funeral costs and grief counseling and time off of work," Mendoza told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" host Ainsley Earhardt Wednesday morning. "When something tragic like this hits you, you're not expecting it."

Mendoza is requesting that the incoming president provide assistance to the families of victims, including for include funeral costs, doctors expenses, counseling and civil and criminal justice support.

"You know, my son was killed by an illegal criminal, but I really feel like he was the victim of a political crime also," Mendoza said, adding that she feels politicians are "standing in the way of any and all legislation" that would help secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

"It's time for our politicians to stand up for Americans," Mendoza said, "and quit making illegals and Syrian refugees and anybody else who's trying to cross our borders, quit making them more important than us."

Here is the open letter from Mendoza:

Dear GOP Presidential Candidate:

Violent illegal alien crimes, especially crimes resulting in the killings of American citizens, are like none other in our system of legal justice.  In every case, the perpetrator was in the country illegally, enabled by a government unwilling to protect our nation’s border and enforce current laws.   We are aware that not all candidates have clearly promised to secure the borders, however, there is some very important unfinished American family business that urgently needs your attention.

Based on the nature and uniqueness of these killings, it is necessary that creative measures be implemented by the next administration to provide needed services to our victimized citizen families.  The Remembrance Project, a national organization that advocates for families of victims killed by illegal aliens, calls for your public support for a fully funded, non-taxpayer funded, program aiding those American families who are most egregiously affected by the open borders.  These families are almost always forgotten, left to deal alone with their grief, often victimized by an unfamiliar legal system, and frequently face financial ruin. Your commitment today would send a profound message to all Americans that you will not abandon our American families.

Funded through a remittance fee on money transfers out of the United States, your administration would assist state and local governments in coordinating with appropriate social and legal agencies to provide needed assistance presently unavailable, unknown by or denied to victims' families. I propose that the program be implemented in every state and to include, but not limited to, the following essential relief services:

Immediate release of program funds to cover burial expenses, hospital and doctors’ expenses, grief and family counseling, financial support due to lost wages, childcare assistance, and other related services;

Criminal and civil justice support, including victims’ rights education, court accompaniment, legal procedure and relevant case information etc.;

Legal representation to obtain restitution from the killer, corporations and companies deemed legally liable for the illegal alien’s presence and/or employment.

This matter is urgent and must not be ignored during this primary election period.

Our families are crying out for help, and America is looking for a special kind of leader who is unafraid to stand with American families.  As the next President of the United States, will you be that advocate?

Thank you.  I am available to discuss this program and its urgency immediately.

(H/T: Fox News Insider)

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