Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
On Wednesday's Fox & Friends, co-host Lawrence Jones interviewed the father of a young woman who was killed in a car crash caused by a twice-deported illegal alien. Anatoly Varfolomeeva joined other such parents to give testimony during a congressional hearing on Monday.
The Fox segment began with a soundbite of his testimony:
My 19-year-old daughter Anya was killed together with her childhood friend. It took us three years in sanctuary California to find out a 39-year-old felon was not only a repeat criminal with previous prison times who never had license to drive in California, but he was illegal alien already deported twice in 2016 and '21. And he should not have been in the country.
Jones elaborated:
A father's powerful testimony on Capitol Hill as grieving families tell Congress they believe sanctuary policies failed them. Nineteen-year-old daughter Anya Varfolomeeva was killed in a 2021 crash involving a driver who was traveling nearly 100 miles per hour while intoxicated and had previously been deported twice. Her father joins us now.
The grieving father blamed the Joe Biden administration and California politicians for such deadly car crashes:
First off, it's the open borders by the previous Biden-Harris administration. They completely failed the American people, as far as I'm concerned, especially my family and also families of other victims. And, of course, the politicians of the state of California. I can't say "the leadership" because there is no leadership here. I cannot consider Prince Gavin Newsom to be leader.
Later on, Jones played soundbites of Democrats at the hearing trying to deflect from the issue, and the Fox host then cued up Varfolomeeva to call out Democrats for not distinguishing between legal and illegal immigrants. He noted that he is a legal immigrant who came to the U.S. the right way:
... it's a play of words confusing immigrants that are legal immigrants -- like we are. My family is -- they are legal immigrants with exception of Anya. Anya was born in the United States after we became citizens. So she was a regular American girl that was killed. And it's absolutely their responsibility -- again, California politicians and Biden administration.
On Monday evening, Fox's Special Report with Bret Baier ran a full story on the hearing filed by reporter Bill Melugin.
The piecet began with a clip of a lifelong Democrat, Elizabeth Carter, complaining about how her party has handled illegal immigration after her son was killed by an illegal alien who was allowed to be a trucker:
ELIZABETH CARTER, MOTHER OF CAR CRASH VICTIM: As a lifelong Democrat, I am ashamed of what my party is doing.
BILL MELUGIN: Angel mom, Elizabeth Carter, face-to-face with Democrats on Capitol Hill today, as she testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee on behalf of her late son William. William and his newlywed wife were both killed in November after an illegal alien truck driver from India allegedly jackknifed and caused a crash on a highway in Oregon. DHS says that driver was caught and released at the border by the Biden administration and given a commercial driver's license by the sanctuary state of California.
Transcripts follow:
Fox's Special Report with Bret Baier
September 15, 2026
6:28 p.m. Eastern
BRET BAIER: Tonight, we're hearing from parents of children killed by illegal immigrant drivers, as congressional Republicans continue to pressure Democrats and sanctuary jurisdictions over this issue. Congressional correspondent Bill Melugin has the latest story from Capitol Hill.
ELIZABETH CARTER, MOTHER OF CAR CRASH VICTIM: As a lifelong Democrat, I am ashamed of what my party is doing.
BILL MELUGIN: Angel mom, Elizabeth Carter, face-to-face with Democrats on Capitol Hill today, as she testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee on behalf of her late son William. William and his newlywed wife were both killed in November after an illegal alien truck driver from India allegedly jackknifed and caused a crash on a highway in Oregon. DHS says that driver was caught and released at the border by the Biden administration and given a commercial driver's license by the sanctuary state of California.
CARTER: I keep hearing how many people have been killed by ICE. Does anybody know how many people, how many American citizens have been kill by illegal immigrants that should not have been here in the first place?
MELUGIN: Also testifying today
ANATOLY VARFOLOMEEVA, FATHER OF CAR CRASH VICTIM: I'm just an angry, grieving father.
MELUGIN: His daughter Anya was killed by a drunk, speeding previously deported illegal alien who crashed into her on a Southern California freeway in 2021. She burned alive.
VARFOLOMEEVA: Our tragedy was the direct result of crazy, sinister, incomprehensible stupidly anti-American open border policy by the Biden-Harris administration.
MELUGIN: Democrats say the focus shouldn't be on sanctuary policies.
CONGRESSWOMAN PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): We should be holding hearings on real solutions that fix an immigration system that has not been modernized to meet the needs of our country in over 30 years.
MELUGIN: Republicans highlighted the realities of sanctuary policies.
CONGRESSMAN JIM JORDAN (R-OH): ICE notifies you, sends a detainer -- in New York what do you have to do?
UNIDENTIFIED SHERIFF: Let them out the backdoor.
CONGRESSMAN JORDAN: Let them out the backdoor.
MELUGIN: And, Bret, a handful of those committee Democrats went very off topic during this hearing on sanctuary policies today. That included New York Congressman Dan Goldman, who asked that sheriff you just saw there from New York about his personal sex life. The sheriff then called Goldman a degenerate for asking him.
(...)
Fox & Friends
September 16, 2026
6:21 a.m.
ANATOLY VARFOLOMEEVA, FATHER OF CAR CRASH VICTIM (from congressional hearing): I'm an ordinary citizen. I'm politically incorrect. I do not belong to any party. I'm just an angry grieving father. My 19-year-old daughter Anya was killed together with her childhood friend. It took us three years in sanctuary California to find out a 39-year-old felon was not only a repeat criminal with previous prison times who never had license to drive in California, but he was illegal alien already deported twice in 2016 and '21. And he should not have been in the country.
LAWRENCE JONES: A father's powerful testimony on Capitol Hill as grieving families tell Congress they believe sanctuary policies failed them. Nineteen-year-old daughter Anya Varfolomeeva was killed in a 2021 crash involving a driver who was traveling nearly 100 miles per hour while intoxicated and had previously been deported twice. Her father joins us now. Sir, thanks so much for joining the program this morning. We're so sorry what happened to your daughter, but it was completely avoidable. I guess, sir, who do you hold responsible for what took place?
VARFOLOMEEVA: Well, I would say there are several players in all that. First off, it's the open borders by the previous Biden-Harris administration. They completely failed the American people, as far as I'm concerned, especially my family and also families of other victims. And, of course, the politicians of the state of California. I can't say "the leadership" because there is no leadership here. I cannot consider Prince Gavin Newsom to be leader. He is not. He is just a regular politician. So these are the main two parties that failed. Plus, of course, all his minions from CDCR -- from court system. It's basically -- that's how it worked for us.
(...)
JONES: I want to play this soundbite from Democrats because they say that your daughter is being exploited. So let's play this sound.
CONGRESSWOMAN PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): We should be holding hearings on real solutions that fix an immigration system that has not been modernized to meet the needs of our country in over 30 years. (editing jump) This committee has zero interest in ensuring accountability or actually moving forward sensible immigration policy that this country desperately needs.
CONGRESSWOMAN SUMMER LEE (D-PA): It feels like the only group that really benefits from this mass immigration enforcement and detention are corporations like GEO Group who run Moshannon and other detention centers and, of course, politicians who are able to use fear to win elections.
JONES: So, sir, what do you make of that, what they had to say?
VARFOLOMEEVA: Well, my understanding is that that lady, Mrs. Jayapal, she is part of that commission. If she blames the commission, then she blames herself first off, right? So it's obnoxious to me when she's saying that I was at the hearing today in Washington, D.C., and, again, again, it is outrageous. And I don't believe what they say because they say only part of the story that they were presenting part, not the whole story.
And, to me, they should have agreed a long time ago on united sort of action how to proceed and to make Americans safer. It's simple. And to me, what she was using and others -- it's a play of words confusing immigrants that are legal immigrants -- like we are. My family is -- they are legal immigrants with exception of Anya. Anya was born in the United States after we became citizens. So she was a regular American girl that was killed. And it's absolutely their responsibility -- again, California politicians and Biden administration.
JONES: It is such an important point. There is a clear distinction between people that legally come to this country versus the people that do not come to this country (legally). And they have a duty to protect the people that are here the legal way. Sir, thanks so much for joining the program. We reached out to the governor, Gavin Newsom, to ask for a statement, but we did not hear back from them.
