Kelvin Alvarenga, the grandfather to 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray who was sexually assaulted and murdered allegedly at the hands of two illegal aliens from Venezuela, says, “God bless” former President Donald Trump for reaching out to the family following the tragedy.

During last week’s presidential debate, Trump revealed that he had called the Angel Family that day to offer his condolences following Jocelyn’s murder. Angel Mom Alexis Nungaray said she was “shocked” when she got the call from the former president.

In an interview with FOX26 Houston, Alvarenga expressed his gratitude to Trump for acknowledging the pain and suffering his family has endured following Jocelyn’s murder.

“God bless [Donald Trump] … I wouldn’t want my [grand]daughter’s accident to go as another statistic for the city of Houston or the state of Texas,” Alvarenga said. “With former President Trump reaching out, my blessings to him and God bless him.”

An attendee places a candle near a photo of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, during a candlelight vigil for her on Friday, June 21, 2024 in Houston. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Alvarenga and Alexis Nungaray told Fox News Channel last week that Jocelyn’s murder should have never occurred in the first place.

“This shouldn’t have happened … to her or any child,” Alvarenga said, while Alexis Nungary said, “We have to have more reinforcement when it comes to letting people in [to the United States]. This is not okay.”

“Just sit back and reflect and think about all of these little angels that shouldn’t have been taken away … for the reason that we’re not doing what we need to do [in terms of] screening these people,” Alvarenga said. “… It happens all over the country. We need a safer country.”

As Breitbart News reported, Venezuelan illegal aliens 22-year-old Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and 26-year-old Franklin Pena — both released into the United States from the southern border — were charged with murdering Jocelyn in the early morning of June 17.

This week, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office unveiled the findings from an examination of Jocelyn’s body conducted by the Houston Forensic Science Center. The findings confirm that Jocelyn was sexually assaulted before her murder.

On June 17, the day she was murdered, Jocelyn’s body was found in a creek near a bridge. She was nude from the waist down, with her hands and feet bound together, and had cuts all over her backside.

Prosecutors say Martinez-Rangel admitted to tying up Jocelyn’s hands and feet and instructed Pena to dump her body into a creek under the bridge. An autopsy found that Jocelyn was strangled to death.

Venezuelan illegal aliens Franklin Pena and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel. (Photos via Houston PD)

At the time of his arrest, prosecutors say Martinez-Rangel had scratches and bite marks on him they believe could be from a struggle with Jocelyn. After allegedly dumping the girl’s body in the creek, Martinez-Rangel sought to avoid arrest by shaving his beard and researching how to flee the United States, prosecutors allege.

Border Patrol agents had apprehended Martinez-Rangel at the border near El Paso, Texas, on March 14. The same day, he was released into the U.S. interior on an order of recognizance with a Notice to Appear (NTA) at a later date before a federal immigration judge.

Border Patrol agents apprehended Pena near El Paso on May 28 and released him into the U.S. interior that day on an order of recognizance with an NTA — just 20 days before he allegedly helped murder Jocelyn.

The House Homeland Security Committee has since found that Pena and Martinez-Rangel were released at the border from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody, even as ICE had thousands of detention beds available at the time of their releases.

Martinez-Rangel and Pena are each being held on a $10 million bail. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has placed detainers on both of them, requesting custody if they are released from jail at any time.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.