A Nebraska state senator and Republican gubernatorial candidate is linking the rape and death of a 93-year-old woman to his push for restrictive legislation targeting immigrants.

State Sen. Charlie Janssen (R) wrote in a letter to the Lincoln Journal-Star that the July 21 death of Louise Sollowin “is undeniable evidence that our borders are not secure and we have no idea who is entering our country. The result of the federal government’s failure here — not only criminal violence but human trafficking and drug smuggling — has cost our state immeasurably.”

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According to the Omaha World-Herald, the suspect, 19-year-old Sergio Martinez-Perez, has been placed under a detainer by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, on suspicion of entering the U.S. illegally. He is accused of first-degree murder for allegedly entering Sollowin’s home and severely beating her before raping her.

“My mother was a saint,” the victim’s son, Joe Sollowin, told the World-Herald on July 25. “This is beyond words. It’s horrendous.”

Think Progress reported that Janssen has pushed to repeal in-state tuition rates for undocumented college students and introduced legislation similar to Arizona’s SB1070, which requires police to check a person’s immigration status during a traffic stop.

In his letter to the Journal-Star, Janssen suggested that he would continue to push this kind of legislation despite opposition.

“Whenever a crime of this magnitude occurs, the societal factors that contributed to the crime are discussed and analyzed endlessly,” he wrote. “To omit or ignore the illegal immigration issue in relation to this tragedy is politically correct nonsense.”

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[Image via state Sen. Charlie Janssen (R) Facebook page]