One of the accused killers in the 2022 murder of Wake County Deputy Sheriff Ned P. Byrd, illegal immigrant brothers Arturo Marin-Sotelo and Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo, fled to Mexico following the crime. Now, according to US Attorney General Pam Bondi, the alleged killer has been extradited to the US for prosecution.

“Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove and I just held a call with Mignon Byrd, sister of Deputy Sheriff Ned P. Byrd who was killed in the line of duty by an illegal immigrant,” Bondi announced in on X. “The alleged killer fled to Mexico but was extricated to the United States last week along with 28 other defendants. It was my honor to learn more about Deputy Byrd and to express my condolences to his amazing sister. President Trump and I are committed to prosecuting criminals who kill our law enforcement agents.”

The crime, committed in the lead up to the 2022 elections, galvanized Republicans against local sanctuary policies and elevated North Carolinians’ sensitivity to the issue of border control, despite the geographic distance.

NC House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Lenoir, welcomed the announced extradition and reinforced his chamber’s commitment to ensuring violent illegal immigrant offenders are removed.

“Wake County Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd was killed in the line of duty by illegal immigrant brothers — a tragedy enabled by the Democrats’ open border policies,” said Hall on X. “@POTUS and the NC House are committed to strengthening our laws, removing violent illegals from our country, and protecting innocent lives.”

Since Byrd’s murder, Republicans in the NC General Assembly have passed legislation requiring law enforcement to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in order to expeditiously remove the suspects from the community.

In the case of Byrd’s killer, and the other 28 suspects Mexico extradited to the United States, authorities want them back to face prosecution for the accused crimes with the full force of US law.

Just this week, the North Carolina Senate approved legislation enabling citizens to go after sanctuary cities.

“While Sanctuary City policies are already prohibited in the state, municipalities across the state continue to defy the state law,”reads a press release on the bill. “To hold them accountable, any county or municipality that creates Sanctuary Cities will have its local immunity waived, thereby allowing citizens harmed by illegal immigrants to sue them.”

One of the central elements of the bill is increased cooperation between state agencies and ICE. Under the proposed law, several state law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Public Safety, Department of Adult Correction, State Highway Patrol, and State Bureau of Investigation, are required to enter into formal agreements with ICE.

Just over a month into the second administration of President Donald Trump, who campaigned on securing the border, illegal crossings have plunged to the lowest levels in decades.