Family of People Killed by Undocumented Immigrants Speak Out at RNC

A series of intensely personal speeches at the convention.

— -- Family members of victims killed by undocumented immigrants emotionally recounted their stories to the Republican Convention Monday night, pleading for border control to prevent similar tragedies.

Two of the parents, Mendoza and Shaw, invoked the most recent unrest involving violence targeting police officers and the police shootings of African-Americans in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Mendoza’s police officer son, Sgt. Brandon Mendoza, was killed in a car accident with an undocumented immigrant in 2014. The suspect in the case wasn't deported after a conviction in Colorado.

"He was a modern day beat cop. He went door-to-door and met everyone in his beat. They invited them in for dinner, he checked in on the elderly, he got drug dealers out of the neighborhood, he advocated for children, he provided an annual Thanksgiving dinner, he shopped for children at Christmas and he inspired children to stay in school. A memorial is still up in the area he patrolled,” said Mendoza, describing her son’s death in 2014.

"He killed my Dom. He was given a misdemeanor and served just 35 days in jail,” Durden said. The suspect in that case was reportedly deported.

Durden got the crowd cheering as she described Trump as her “lifesaver."

Jamiel Shaw described how his teenage son, Jazz, was killed by an undocumented gang member in 2008, reportedly because he was mistaken for a rival gang member because of his red Spider-Man backpack. The convicted killer was sentenced to death, according to KTLA.

Shaw said Trump was sent from God.

"I will say it again, like I said before, Trump is sent from God. Support Trump and Pence.”