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In testimony to Congress on Tuesday, a mother shared the heartbreaking details of how her son, a U.S. Marine veteran, was gunned down by illegal immigrants on their property in South Texas under the Obama administration.
Marie Vega, a legal immigrant from Mexico, shared the harrowing experience in testimony in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee’s hearing on “Biden’s Border Betrayal” on Tuesday.
According to Vega’s testimony, her family was enjoying a barbecue on their property in La Feria, Texas, when two illegal immigrants “ambushed” them without any warning in July 2014.
“Our beautiful day turned into a nightmare when two criminal illegal aliens decided to ambush us in an attempt to steal both four-wheel drive trucks. The two illegals jumped out of the stolen vehicle they were driving, and without hesitation or a warning, they began shooting at us,” she shared.
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Marie Vega, a South Texas mother and legal immigrant from Mexico, testifies during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on July 22, 2025. Vega recounted the 2014 murder of her son, Marine veteran and Border Patrol officer Javier “Harvey” Vega Jr., by illegal immigrants on their family’s property. (U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary website and Texas General Land Office)
Her son and husband attempted to return fire. But in the attack, her son, Javier “Harvey” Vega Jr., a former Marine and Border Patrol officer, was killed. Her husband, meanwhile, suffers from permanent injuries from the incident.
Besides the death and physical injuries her family sustained, she said that she, her daughter-in-law and young grandchildren were left traumatized.
“Open borders have consequences,” Vega said. “And you can see from what I have experienced because of the crimes committed by illegals, the pain lives with us for the rest of our lives.”
Vega said she attempted to protect her grandchildren and watched helplessly as her son was shot in the chest.
Through tears, Vega asked, “Do you know what it is like to see your son go down after being shot? Do you know what it is like to hear the gunshots, bullets whizzing past you? Do you know what it’s like when your mind is trying to process everything, telling your grandchildren to duck while thinking your son is on the ground with a bullet in his chest?
“Do you know what it’s like to hear your son’s last words to his father? ‘Keep shooting, Dad.’ Keep shooting were his last words,” she asked, adding, “That should never have happened.”
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Migrants from Venezuela walk toward U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 8, 2024. Border security remains a flashpoint as witnesses like Marie Vega testify on Capitol Hill about their experiences as victims of violence from criminal illegal aliens. (John Moore/Getty Images)
She called the ordeal a “nightmare,” saying, “Had my husband and I not returned fire, the illegals would have killed everyone there, leaving no witnesses.”
According to Vega’s testimony, the two illegals had prior criminal records, had menaced other neighbors in their community and had been previously deported. She said that she continues to live with “survivor’s guilt” and struggles to sleep at night because of the trauma.
“Open borders have consequences. And you can see from what I have experienced because of the crimes committed by illegals, the pain lives with us for the rest of our lives.”
“11 years is how much I have struggled to survive without my baby,” she said. “11 years I have lived with flashbacks during every waking moment. 11 years we have celebrated the boys’ birthdays, graduations, weddings, starting new families, new careers, and amazing accomplishments, without my baby.
“Illegal aliens have impacted American lives in a very negative way,” Vega went on. “They have no regard for human life. As I witnessed firsthand, the illegals that killed Harvey also shot my husband in the back and shot at innocent children and women. My grandbabies and their friend were only eight and 11 years old. Take a moment and imagine your child or grandchild witnessing this horror.”
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Border Patrol agents and National Guard members monitor a checkpoint near the Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas, in this 2021 photo. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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She concluded that “had our immigration laws been enforced, our son would be here.”
“Barack Obama failed me, my family and our community and our nation,” she said.
Addressing the senators on the subcommittee, Vega said, “You took an oath to uphold the Constitution and work for we the people. That means working with your fellow politicians regardless of which side of the aisle you are on. You are supposed to work together, representing us, ensuring that those coming in are obeying our immigration laws. They need to be properly vetted, not only for their safety, but yours and ours.”
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