There is a reason why we have to abide by certain laws and follow rules. Over time, people have learned what is safe and what is not safe. In order to legally drive a vehicle, one must first obtain a driver’s license which requires a person to pass tests that make them a credible driver.
This process can be a rigid one because it narrows down those who should be behind the wheel versus those who should not, which in turn, protects the safety of everyone who is on the road.
It’s not surprising that Courtney Hacking is on a mission to change the rules surrounding criminal activity committed by illegal immigrants. Her husband Peter Hacking, and her two children, 4-year-old Ellie Bryant and 22-month old Grayson Hacking died when a vehicle struck them on their route to Wylie, Texas. The person who struck them was Margarito Quintero Rosales, an illegal immigrant who had fallen asleep at the wheel while driving without a license. Rosales drifted over the median and he crashed into their vehicle head-on.
Not only had Rosales been driving without a license but he was residing in the United States illegally.
While that alone is enough to make Hacking angry, Rosales’ punishment was beyond lacking. He received only two years in prison after a plea deal, following his sentence for criminally negligent homicide. After taking three lives due to illegal activity, it is hard not to side with Hacking and want to join her tirade.
Rosales was not only in the U.S. illegally but he fled the country several years ago before coming back, after a burglary charge in Missouri.
“Today for me is offensive to our family. There’s no justice in what you’re getting today,” Hacking said to Rosales in court. “You weren’t supposed to be here. All of this heartbreak is because of you. You were in this country illegally for the second time. You were driving a car without a license, coming from a job you were illegally paid to do. Because of your selfishness, three beautiful people lost their lives.”
Hacking is moving forward after the minimal sentence for the horrible crime, and she is focusing on what she wants to see changed with immigration law. While the state wouldn’t have been able to prove that Rosales intended to kill Hacking’s husband and children because it was a vehicle accident, she believes that a harsher punishment should be implemented regarding the immigration being the “aggravating factor,” in deadly crimes. She is currently working with federal lawmakers and if she gets her way, there will be an increased punishment for guilty offenders.