James Talarico Faces Heat Over 2025 Bail Vote Absence After 12-Year-Old's Murder

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 13

James Talarico is under renewed attack in his Texas Senate run for missing the 2025 final vote on "Jocelyn's Law," a proposed constitutional amendment to deny bail to undocumented migrants charged with violent felonies.
The bill was named for 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who prosecutors say was abducted, sexually assaulted and strangled in Houston in June 2024 by two Venezuelan nationals later charged with capital murder.
Critics say Talarico's absence helped doom the measure after it failed for lack of bipartisan support; before the final vote, he opposed killing amendments that would have exempted several immigration-status categories.
Talarico's campaign says he is a "law and order Democrat" who backs prosecuting violent felons, tighter bail laws for violent offenders and more police funding, rejecting Republican claims that he is soft on crime.
The dispute revives broader scrutiny of Talarico's record on bail and immigration in a state heavily shaped by border politics, including earlier votes against other bail-tightening measures.

As Texas begins enforcing its own immigration law, what does the future of border control now look like?

With a $45 billion budget, what will the new era of massive immigration detention centers mean for those inside?