Parents of a 24-year-old woman who was murdered in Springfield, Illinois, in 2023 have slammed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for relocating her Illinois speech to the location where their daughter was killed, saying Noem is using the victim to "advance a cruel and heartless political agenda."
"Our daughter Emma radiated love and light everywhere she went and for all people. Even as a child, she was a friend to everyone and someone who spoke up for the less fortunate. She dedicated her life - her career and her free time - to causes of social justice and equity," wrote the parents of Emma Shafer in a statement released Wednesday, as reported by NBC Chicago.
"To see her used by Secretary Noem and others to advance a cruel and heartless political agenda is not just deeply painful to us — it is an insult to her memory," the statement added.
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Earlier on Wednesday, Noem visited Springfield, where she criticized the state's Democratic leaders for their sanctuary policies that she said shield undocumented immigrants. In her remarks delivered close to the location of Shafer's murder, the secretary said Shafer's murderer was in the United States illegally at the time of the incident.
Noem stood alongside government officials and what she referred to as "angel families"— families she claimed had loved ones affected by crimes committed by individuals residing illegally in the U.S.
Shafer's parents chose not to attend the secretary's news conference and were reportedly holding a protest blocks away from Noem's news conference.
"Noem's words are in direct conflict with who Emma was as a person. Emma built up community and stood with all members, including immigrants," they said in their statement.
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