An illegal immigrant is accused of killing a 27-year-old Colorado woman in a high-speed, drunk-driving crash, a case fueling outrage over the state’s sanctuary-style policies and drawing sharp criticism from prosecutors and elected officials.
Police say 19-year-old Eduardo Parra-Corral was driving more than 100 mph early on November 9 when he ran a red light and slammed into the woman’s vehicle in Greeley. She died five days later from her injuries.
Parra-Corral was initially arrested on charges including driving without a valid license, underage possession of alcohol and vehicular assault. After the victim’s death, prosecutors added a vehicular homicide charge.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Fox News Digital that Parra-Corral was in the United States illegally and had been deported.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called Parra-Corral “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico” and detailed the timeline of events.
“On November 9, Eduardo Parra-Corral, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested by local police after he was allegedly driving under the influence at a speed of more than 100 miles per hour when he ran a red light,” DHS shared in a statement with Fox News Digital.
“He hit and killed a 27-year-old woman. ICE took him into custody on November 10. He was deported on November 25 and no longer poses a threat to Americans,” McLaughlin said.
She added: “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you come to our country and break our laws, we will find you, arrest you, and remove you. Criminals are not welcome in the U.S.”
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Parra-Corral’s passenger, 20-year-old Omar Perea-Burciaga, was also taken into custody for allegedly providing false identifying information and on a prior hit-and-run warrant.
The Weld County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim as 27-year-old Jasmine Faith Carpio of Windsor, according to KUSA.
A spokesperson for the Greeley Police Department told Fox News Digital, “The accident resulted in the tragic loss of a member of our community, Jasmine Carpio. While we will not be making any statements on the immigration status of Mr. Parra-Corral, we remain fully committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation.”
Loved ones remembered Carpio as a warm, loyal and deeply caring young woman who “made people feel like family,” according to an obituary. She cherished time with her husband, Ray “RJ” Guerrero, and was known for her sense of humor, her generosity and the way she supported friends and family.
Her mother told Fox News Digital that Carpio worked at the hospital where she later died, had recently paid off her debts and was planning to start a family next year.
“I only have one child,” her mother said. “She was an amazing person who never hurt anyone and always wanted to help others.”
Douglas County District Attorney and longtime Denver-area prosecutor George Brauchler said the case underscores the public-safety risks of Colorado’s hands-off approach to immigration enforcement.
“This is a horrific situation, but one we’ve seen play out across Colorado and across the United States,” Brauchler told Fox News Digital. “Imagine the amount of crime that would go away if we didn’t have someone like this on our streets killing people.”
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Brauchler said cases like this raise urgent questions.
“I’d like to know when they got into the country or when they snuck into the country,” he said. “I’d like to know what other run-ins with law enforcement they’ve had and if they had contact, why weren’t they deported before?”
He argued that Colorado’s sanctuary-style laws have made the state more attractive to people in the country illegally.
“When you have states like Colorado and cities like Denver that have rolled out the red carpet and the welcome mat for illegal immigrants, this is the kind of thing you invite more of,” he said. “This is some of the downside of that policy.”
Since 2019, Colorado has enacted laws limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, restrictions Brauchler says undermine public safety.
“The result has been more criminals who should have been deported being put back on our streets,” he said. “It is a system created on purpose by those in charge of the state of Colorado, and this is the kind of chaos that ensues.”
The case has also drawn reaction from state Republicans.
Rep. Lauren Boebert called Parra-Corral “another criminal alien welcomed into our state,” blaming Democratic policies for the woman’s death.
“Colorado’s sanctuary policies welcomed this criminal alien into our state,” Boebert wrote on X. “Democrats are responsible for the death of a 27-year-old woman by allowing her killer illegally into our country.”
The Colorado GOP also weighed in, warning: “How many more innocent lives must be lost? Will your family be affected next?”
Greeley police said the investigation remains ongoing, and all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
