As a mother of four, I can’t even begin to comprehend the heartbreak of losing a child. So when I heard about the death of 18-year-old Ava Moore in Texas, just 40 minutes from my home, I felt a wave of sorrow for her grieving family.
Ava was out kayaking over Memorial Day weekend—a time we typically reserve to honor fallen service members—when tragedy struck. A jet ski slammed into her, inflicting severe injuries that would ultimately cost her life. What makes this horrific incident national news isn’t just the devastating loss of a bright, young woman. It’s who the authorities say caused it.
Police say the person behind the wheel of the jet ski was Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez-Gonzalez, a 22-year-old who entered the U.S. illegally from Venezuela in 2023. After the crash, she fled the scene. She wasn’t alone—21-year-old Maikel Coello Perozo, also in the country illegally, is accused of helping her escape.
Both individuals were reportedly arrested upon initially entering the U.S. but were released with notices to appear in court. Fast forward two years, and now they’re in custody—while Ava, a promising future U.S. Air Force member who had just graduated from the Air Force Academy Preparatory School, is gone forever. She came home to visit family and ended up losing her life in a preventable tragedy.
Her death wasn’t just a freak accident. It’s the result of a broken system that failed her and countless others.
Under President Joe Biden, border security policies shifted dramatically. Millions of people crossed into the U.S. illegally, often without thorough background checks or vetting. While many came seeking better lives, it’s naive to think that none among them posed serious risks.
Even now, the effects of those policies reverberate.
Though President Donald Trump has reinstated stricter controls at the border and illegal crossings have declined, the consequences of the Biden administration’s lax immigration enforcement remain painfully visible.
We saw this in the murder of nursing student Laken Riley in 2024—another victim of someone who should never have been in the country in the first place. We see it again in the loss of Ava Moore.
This isn’t just about immigration. It’s about the fundamental right of Americans to feel safe in their own country. It’s about a federal government that is supposed to enforce laws designed to protect its citizens.
And yet, when it comes to border security, that duty has been abandoned.
A report released last October by the House Committee on Homeland Security revealed that federal agents had encountered more than 8.72 million illegal crossings at the Southwest border since the start of fiscal year 2021. That’s not counting the estimated 2 million others who slipped through undetected.
Even if a small fraction of these individuals go on to commit violent crimes, the result is still tragic. The victims and their families pay the price. No statistic will bring Ava Moore back to her family. No policy reversal will erase the pain of Laken Riley’s loved ones.
Americans deserve more than thoughts and prayers. They deserve action, accountability, and real security.
I’ve lived in Texas for nearly seven years. During that time, the impact of lawless border policies has been impossible to ignore. These policies played a significant role in the outcome of the 2024 election, where public frustration finally boiled over.
Still, the damage done cannot be undone overnight. No matter how effective new policies may be, the lives lost can’t be recovered. Families shattered by violence won’t be made whole.
But going forward, we must demand that the federal government prioritize the safety of its citizens. Enforcing immigration laws isn’t about politics—it’s about protection.
Had Biden administration officials taken that responsibility seriously, Ava might still be alive today. So might Laken Riley. And maybe other innocent lives could have been spared.
Until there’s meaningful change, we’ll continue to mourn avoidable tragedies—and wonder how many more lives will be lost before enough is finally enough.
