The Obama administration confirmed that the illegal immigrant charged with the first degree murder of a contestant on America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) and two others had been granted amnesty under the president’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, also known as the “dreamer” policy.

Emmanuel Jesus Rangel-Hernandez and David Ezequel Lopez, both 19, are accused of triple homicides in the deaths of ANTM contestant Mirjana Puhar, 19; her boyfriend, Jonathan Alvarado, 23; and his roommate, Jusmar Isiah Gonzaga-Garcia, 21, on February 24, 2015, at Alvardo’s home in Charlotte, N.C.

As previously reported by Western Journalism, Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa (Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee), first raised concerns about Rangel-Hernandez’s status a few days after the murders in a letter to Department of Homeland Security head Jeh Johnson. By the following month, Grassley and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., had confirmed that the murder suspect avoided deportation through the DACA policy.

Grassley and Tillis’ inquiry further revealed that Rangel-Hernandez had been placed in the removal process by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following drug charges in 2012, but his proceedings were dismissed in 2013 after his approval for Obama’s deferral program.

The senators added, “Whistleblowers allege that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted Rangel-Hernandez’s DACA application despite knowledge that he was a gang member.”

In light of their discoveries, the senators asked Sec. Jeh Johnson pointed questions, demanding to know why someone who was not eligible for DACA, due to his criminal record and gang membership, was allowed to stay in the country.

Grassley released U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) director Leon Rodriguez’s reply on Tuesday, in which he admitted, “Given the fact that the individual [Rangel-Hernandez] was a known gang member, his request should have been denied.” He further noted that, during their investigation, the USCIS identified others in the country under DACA who “merit further review.”

Grassley responded to USCIS’s admission, saying:

This statement by USCIS confirms what we have feared – that USCIS is not doing a thorough job reviewing the individuals who it allows to stay in this country under the President’s deferred action program. It’s no secret that USCIS staff is under intense pressure to approve every DACA application that comes across their desk, and based on this information, it’s clear that adequate protocols are not in place to protect public safety. The fact is that this tragedy could have been avoided if the agency had a zero tolerance policy with regard to criminal aliens and gang members.

Sen. Tillis added:

The flawed implementation of the President’s blanket deferred action program has created a loophole that allows dangerous criminals who came here illegally – even known gang members – to stay in the country. The USCIS needs to immediately start performing detailed criminal background checks to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.

Breitbart reports, as of March 20, 2015, the Obama administration had approved more than 866,638 DACA applications, 223,826 of which were renewals. (See “Obama Admin Admits Gang Member Who Killed ‘Top Model’ Not Deported Due to Obama’s Amnesty Program”, originally posted HERE)

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