‘I don’t want her to be forgotten’: The election is over. Alexis Nungaray’s grief remains.

Alexis Nungaray was thrust into the political spotlight when her 12-year-old daughter, Jocelyn, was murdered in June and two undocumented immigrants were charged with the crime. In a presidential campaign centered around immigration policy, Alexis’ made for a powerful surrogate of President-Elect Donald Trump. She appeared with Trump at campaign stops, testified before Congress and her face was broadcast across the nation in political advertisements.

My name is Paul Cobler, and I cover Houston area politics for the Houston Landing. My colleague, immigration reporter Anna-Catherine Brigada, and I wanted to better understand Alexis and how she was managing to navigate the turbulent campaign she was now at the center of. We also wanted to make sure Jocelyn’s story did not get lost within the politics.

What we found was a heartwrenching and human story of a young mother doing her best to raise her daughter before her world was shattered by a violent crime. With the intention of continuing to fight for Jocelyn after her death, Alexis dove headfirst into a political arena. The constant demands from politicians, political consultants and journalists left little time to grieve, but since the election, she has been working to rebuild her life.

We could not have written this without the participation of Alexis, who we honor for trusting us with her story. I encourage anyone to read this for a reminder of the real people and stories affected by our politics.