Payam Javan: A previously deported migrant, Wilmer Fuentes Mejia, is accused of killing an American man in a hit-and-run accident in Durham, North Carolina, after having been released without bond by a Democratic prosecutor. According to WRAL News, Mejia — a Honduran national deported twice before — allegedly struck and killed 61-year-old Richard Ferguson Jr. on September 13 while Ferguson was returning home from work.

Court records reveal that Mejia had a prior 2020 DUI arrest in Wake County, where he was released without bond under a local policy allowing pretrial release for individuals with no prior offenses or missed court dates. Mejia, however, failed to appear for his hearing and remained at large until the fatal crash. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman defended the decision, citing state law that guarantees pretrial release for certain impaired-driving cases.

The case has reignited debate over sanctuary and bail policies in North Carolina, particularly in Democratic-led jurisdictions. Wake County has long faced criticism over its limited cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an issue that contributed to a Republican sheriff’s election defeat in 2018. ICE has yet to issue a statement regarding Mejia’s immigration history or prior deportations.

The incident comes just weeks after another high-profile case in neighboring Mecklenburg County, where a man with multiple prior arrests allegedly murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, intensifying public scrutiny over cashless bail and lenient release practices. Ferguson’s brother, Reginald, expressed frustration over the system’s failures, stating, “If he had never got out on bond, my brother would be alive today.”