BOISE, ID – An 8-year-old girl was killed in a collision involving an illegal immigrant driver in Boise, according to information released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Boise Police Department.
Federal authorities reported that Elvin Elgardo Ramos-Caballero, a illegal immigrant, was charged with hit and run in connection with the crash. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Ramos-Caballero, a Honduran national, entered the United States illegally in September 2015 and was released. ICE stated he did not appear for his immigration hearing and was ordered removed in absentia on May 9, 2016. ICE also said he had been granted a driver’s license in the sanctuary state of Oregon.
Boise Police officers responded around 4:42 p.m. on Nov. 11 to a vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision at North Harrison Boulevard and West Ada Street. Ada County Paramedics transported the girl, identified by federal officials as Mora Gerety, to a local hospital, where she died later that evening.
“8-year-old Mora Gerety’s precious life was taken by an illegal alien who should have never been in our country, let alone issued a driver’s license by the sanctuary state of Oregon,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin
A preliminary Boise Police investigation found that a pickup truck traveling west on Ada Street had stopped at the stop sign at Harrison Boulevard. Police say the girl, also traveling west and standing on the northeast corner sidewalk, entered the intersection at the same time the driver began a right turn to head north on Harrison Boulevard, where the collision occurred. Traffic congestion on Harrison Boulevard contributed to conditions at the scene, according to investigators.
The Boise Police Crash Reconstruction Team and Violent Crime Unit detectives responded, and the investigation remains ongoing.
“This is a parent’s worst nightmare, and tonight our hearts go out to the victim’s family, friends, and her community at large,” Boise Police Chief Chris Dennison said in a written statement.
In a separate statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin addressed the circumstances of Ramos-Caballero’s immigration history and expressed condolences to the child’s family.
ICE reported that Ramos-Caballero was arrested on Nov. 11. DHS stated that support for victims of crimes involving individuals without lawful status is available through the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office at 1-855-488-6423.
