HOUSTON, Texas — Two teenagers from Guatemala, who were seeking asylum in the U.S., broke out of an Illinois detention center and carjacked an elderly Navy veteran.
The veteran, who is 91-years-old, was picking up a prescription at Walmart at the time of the car jacking, according to the Daily Mail. The incident reportedly occurred on Wednesday morning in Moline, Illinois.
According to reports, the two migrants, ages 16 and 17, forced the veteran out of his car by threatening him with violence. They then drove away in the vet’s car, and hit one vehicle as they left the Walmart parking lot; police eventually found the two more than 200 miles outside of Iowa City.
The two teens were previously apprehended by authorities after illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexican border, according to the Daily Mail. Authorities brought the two Guatemalans to Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, Illinois after they had requested asylum in the United States.
Despite the incident, federal authorities refuse to deport the teens before giving them a refugee hearing. This process can take months, due to how clogged he immigration courts currently are; taxpayers will be subsidizing the two teen’s needs for months until their hearings occur.
The carjacking calls into question how secure immigrant holding facilities currently are. Tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors have entered the U.S. illegally since the new year. Most of them were transported to facilities around the U.S. where they received taxpayer-subsidized benefits such as clothing, food, education, and English lessons.
The majority of foreign minors were then placed with foster families across the nation, while they wait for their immigration court hearings. The feds are reportedly spending $868 million this year alone to “resettle” the foreign minors in the United States.
Follow Kristin on Twitter @KristinBTate.
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