Political Leaders Speak Out After Arkansas Man Charged in Fatal Crash While Living in U.S. Illegally
PULASKI COUNTY, AR – Political leaders are reacting to the arrest of a Honduran man living illegally in Arkansas in connection with a fatal crash in Pulaski County.
According to Arkansas State Police, Maynor Yair Sorto-Herrera, 30, was detained on September 9 in connection with the crash that killed Jennifer Ann Morton, 48, of Little Rock near Arch Street.
According to ASP officials, Herrera was driving a truck south on Arch Street on the morning of September 8 when his vehicle crossed into the northbound lane and collided with Morton’s car.
According to investigators, Herrera is a Honduran native who has been living unlawfully in Alexander.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement Monday stating that every tool would be used to punish the man responsible, while also condemning the Biden-Harris administration’s border policies.
“It’s time for the federal government to step up, close the border, and end the mayhem in our communities,” Sanders told reporters.
Immigration and border issues have been a hot topic in politics, particularly during the presidential debates.
Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton also spoke out over the arrest, alleging that the crash was the result of “reckless policies.”
“This tragedy is another sobering reminder that reckless policies can turn every state into a border state,” Cotton told X.
State Sen. Clarke Tucker (D-Little Rock) reacted to such remarks, claiming that the Natural State’s junior senator might have taken more effort to address concerns at the southern border.
“If Sen. Cotton is concerned about the border and reckless policies, then he needs to do his job and work with other Senators to get a bill passed, whether Donald Trump wants to use it as an election issue or not,” Tucker pointed out.
Herrera was charged with negligent murder, battery, DUI, violating the Concealed Weapons Act, reckless driving, driving without a license, failing to stop following a fatal accident, and other traffic infractions. He pleaded not guilty to the allegations last week and is due back in court in November.
He is now being imprisoned at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. State police reported that he was previously deported from the United States in 2018.