HARRISBURG – A Berks County lawmaker has written in an op-ed saying the manhunt for Chester County Prison escapee Danelo Cavalcante is an example of failed immigration policies. Rep. Mark Gillen writes as a grandson of immigrants, “I readily acknowledge the benefits of legal entry into this country. But when I see thousands illegally entering our country every day, I am angered when one of those individuals goes on a murderous crime spree and disrupts the lives of those in our community.” Cavalcante came to the U.S. illegally after fleeing Brazil following a 2017 killing of a man who owed him money. While here, Cavalcante met Deborah Brandao, who would file a restraining order against him for being violent toward her and her children. When Brandao allegedly told Cavalcante she would tell police about a Brazilian arrest warrant, he stabbed her to death in front of her children. Cavalcante was found guilty for Brandao’s murder and sentenced to life without parole for her 2021 death. He was serving time at the Chester County Prison awaiting transfer to a state prison when he escaped, but finally caught Wednesday. Gillen writes that Cavalcante never should have been here. He added that our current failed immigration policy is not only dramatically placing the public at risk, but it is substantially draining resources that could be deployed to help those with legitimate needs.
REP. MARK GILLEN