The case of Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing in July and was recently found dead, has reignited the immigration conversation after a 24-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico was charged with her murder, The Cut reports. But for her relatives, conservative pundit Candace Owens is making things worse by inserting herself into their already painful experience.
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On Tuesday, police charged Cristhian Bahena Rivera, an undocumented immigrant, with the murder, but the family of the slain college student doesn’t want Tibbett’s death politicized or her case used as a pawn to advocate for President Donald Trump’s insensitive immigration policies.
On Twitter, a woman who said she is a relative of Tibbett’s tore into Owens after she tweeted:
Leftists boycotted, screamed, and cried when illegal immigrants were temporarily separated from from their parents.
What will they do for Mollie Tibbetts?
What did they do for Kate Steinle?They will NEVER see their parents again.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) August 21, 2018
But the relative, Sam Lucas shot back.
hey i’m a member of mollie’s family and we are not so f**king small-minded that we generalize a whole population based on some bad individuals. now stop being a fucking snake and using my cousins death as political propaganda. take her name out of your mouth. https://t.co/xxZNBF0Uv9
— sam (@samlucasss) August 22, 2018
Lucas then followed up with a scathing diss to the Trump supporter.
and fyi @RealCandaceO, my whole family is hurting right now and you’re not helping. you’re despicable and this is so far from the loving and kind soul that mollie was. my prayers go out to you in hopes that maybe you’ll become a better person. not hedging my bets tho.
— sam (@samlucasss) August 22, 2018
Tibbett’s aunt Billie Jo Calderwood took to Facebook in a since deleted post, to urge people to remember that hate wears many faces.
“Please remember, Evil comes in EVERY color. Our family has been blessed to be surrounded by love, friendship and support throughout this entire ordeal by friends from all different nations and races. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you,” she wrote along with a picture of Tibbett.
However Calderwood also shared a post by woman named Kasie Schultz Taylor urging people to not use the death as a platform to incite racism.
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On Wednesday, the White House tweeted about the case adding this video:
For 34 days, investigators searched for 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts. Yesterday, an illegal alien, now charged with first-degree murder, led police to the cornfield where her body was found.
The Tibbetts family has been permanently separated. They are not alone. pic.twitter.com/BBskwHEJoU
— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) August 22, 2018