Former President Donald Trump met with Michigan Republican leaders Tuesday to denounce border security under President Joe Biden in the wake of the killing of a 25-year-old woman in Grand Rapids who was found on the side of a road.
Ruthhery Garcia, 25, killed in March. Authorities say she shot and killed through her romantic partner, 25-year-old Brandon Ortiz-Vite, who was in the country illegally and had already been deported to Mexico in 2020.
“I’ve talked to some of the members of his family circle. . . Ruby’s loved ones and the network mourn this young woman,” Trump said. “This monster had been deported, expelled from the country, he wasn’t going to be able to come back. . . But he came back. We kicked him out of the country and the corrupt Joe Biden let him go back and let him stay and brutally killed Ruby.
Garcia was discovered dead by police officers near US-131 in Grand Rapids on March 22. Two days later, Ortiz-Vite called 911 to turn himself in for the murder and told Michigan State Police that he had shot Garcia multiple times to kill him. argument, according to Grand Rapids court records received through Advance.
After shooting Garcia while inspecting his vehicle, Ortiz-Vite told police he was pulled out of the passenger side of the car, walked to the driver’s side and shot Garcia in the head, who assumed he was still alive. Ortiz-Vite told police he pulled Garcia out of the vehicle on the side of the road and drove off.
Records show that in addition to the gunshot wounds, several to the head, Garcia had been crushed.
Garcia’s obituary says he leaves behind a giant circle of family and friends who will be missed.
“Ruby’s love of plants and travel had nothing to do with her loving smile that lit up the room or her infectious laugh that recreated the atmosphere. She cared deeply about the people around her, who were so kind and passionate. It has impacted “Many lives. She will be missed. We love you until we meet again,” the obituary reads.
Advocates held an immigrant rights rally in Grand Rapids ahead of Trump’s events, and the Biden campaign held a press conference with Michigan Democrats rejecting Trump’s attacks.
Trump faces 88 felony charges in 4 cases, in addition to his role in inciting violence on Jan. 6, 2021, on trumped-up allegations of election interference and a separate case involving classified documents.
After Trump paused his crusade after clinching the Republican nomination on March 5, Super Tuesday held the press conference in Michigan on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to hold a rally in Wisconsin in the evening. Trump won any of the battleground states in 2016, but Biden won them in the 2020 election.
Biden, who also clinched the Democratic nomination on Super Tuesday, has since had a more intense campaign schedule than Trump, traveling to Saginaw on March 14 and at other times to key states such as Arizona, Pennsylvania and Nevada.
In addition to Garcia, Trump also spoke about Laken Riley, a 22-year-old student at a Georgia school who is facing Republican calls for tougher border and immigration policies.
Riley was killed while jogging on the campus of the University of Georgia on Feb. 22. The suspect in the case is Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, a Venezuelan who is in the country illegally.
“Just a few weeks ago, I met with the grieving family of Laken Riley. She’s amazing, the most level-headed in her class. All the most sensible. She’s the most level-headed of all. She’s amazing. . . [and] barbarically murdered through an illegal process. “Alien animal,” Trump said. I’ll use the word animal because that’s what they are. . . They are not human; they are animals.
Michigan Democrats, pro-immigration teams postpone Trump’s visit to Grand Rapids
At a news conference last week related to Garcia’s case, Kent County District Attorney Chris Becker said he didn’t need to get into the suspect’s immigration prestige policy, but tried to draw attention to the case as “another case. “related homicides,” which has happened “all too often” in recent years.
Becker spoke of a similar domestic violence murder case in the county in May 2023, where a woman, 22-year-old Leah Gomez, was shot and killed in her car by the father of her one-year-old child, who was also in the car. .
“It’s not a one-time thing, it’s anything we’re seeing. . . This is the second case in less than a year where we have found ourselves in similar circumstances,” Becker said. “We don’t need that to happen. the worst domestic violence situation.
Becker asked if any incidents of domestic violence committed through Ortiz-Vite had ever been reported to police, but he declined to specify that he was not aware of any private policy orders filed.
When an abuser’s immigration standing is rarely very strong, victims may be hesitant to contact police or seek help, Becker said. And a victim’s immigration standing can be used through an abuser to abuse their strength to another extent and continue the cycle of abuse.
“If you look at domestic violence, which is a case of domestic violence, there’s a cycle of violence and control. One thing is control,” Becker said. You have this prestige of immigration and the strain that it puts on those who suffer from it in terms of not cooperating with the police and not helping the authorities in that way. So it’s a completely different dynamic that we’re seeing in Kent County.
Providing care, regardless of a person’s immigration status, with a cultural understanding of the Latino community, that’s what Open Doors in Grand Rapids is all about, founder Andrea Inostroza-Castro told Advance ahead of Trump’s visit. The organization speaks English and Spanish and the purpose is to “empower Latin American women to make possible healthy choices and live free from violence. “
“The lack of a cultural component [affects] many other organizations. There are limits [and] they call us because they have subsidies; They have money to paint with Latin netpaintings, but they didn’t know how to make them technical. What was done is to close the gaps,” Inostroza-Castro said.
He added that the Latino network was very scared when the former president announced that he would organize an event after Garcia’s murder.
“People are going to see [this] — immigrants, other undocumented people — and it’s going to stir up a lot of hate. Hatred will take precedence over violence,” Inostroza-Castro said. The number of women who have died, murdered through their intimate partners here in Michigan is horrific. “
Law enforcement and domestic violence advocates told Advance over the past year that the fatal nature of domestic violence has increased in recent years. Issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the current housing crisis have made it harder for sufferers to escape their abusers, experts say. say.
“It’s something that’s been hurting women for so long. It’s not about immigration at all,” Inostroza-Castro said of domestic violence.
The use of anti-immigration rhetoric contributes to the concept that a person’s immigration standing makes them unworthy of help, Inostroza-Castro said. Many sufferers are also convinced that they or their family members will be deported if they seek help.
“The Latino network has a tendency to deal with their disorders and manage their progress in their own home, because of culture, family, religion. . . We are the bridge between the court and the Latino network. “I want to know that you have rights as a person, regardless of your immigration status,” Inostroza-Castro said. “You have rights as a person. “
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This report was first published through Michigan Advance, a component of the nonprofit news network States Newsroom. It is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains its editorial independence. Please contact Editor Susan J. Demas if you have any questions: [email protected]. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.
by Anna Liz Nichols, Louisiana Illuminator April 2, 2024
Former President Donald Trump met with Michigan Republican leaders Tuesday to denounce border security under President Joe Biden in the wake of the killing of a 25-year-old woman in Grand Rapids who was found on the side of a road.
Ruthhery Garcia, 25, killed in March. Authorities say she shot and killed through her romantic partner, 25-year-old Brandon Ortiz-Vite, who was in the country illegally and had already been deported to Mexico in 2020.
“I’ve talked to some of the members of his family circle. . . Ruby’s loved ones and the network mourn this young woman,” Trump said. “This monster had been deported, expelled from the country, he wasn’t going to be able to come back. . . But he came back. We kicked him out of the country and the corrupt Joe Biden let him go back and let him stay and brutally killed Ruby.
Garcia was discovered dead by police officers near US-131 in Grand Rapids on March 22. Two days later, Ortiz-Vite called 911 to turn himself in for the murder and told Michigan State Police that he had shot Garcia multiple times to kill him. argument, according to Grand Rapids court records received through Advance.
After shooting Garcia while inspecting his vehicle, Ortiz-Vite told police he was pulled out of the passenger side of the car, walked to the driver’s side and shot Garcia in the head, who assumed he was still alive. Ortiz-Vite told police he pulled Garcia out of the vehicle on the side of the road and drove off.
Records show that in addition to the gunshot wounds, several to the head, Garcia had been crushed.
Garcia’s obituary says he leaves behind a giant circle of family and friends who will be missed.
“Ruby’s love of plants and travel had nothing to do with her loving smile that lit up the room or her infectious laugh that recreated the atmosphere. She cared deeply about the people around her, who were so kind and passionate. It has impacted “Many lives. She will be missed. We love you until we meet again,” the obituary reads.
Advocates held an immigrant rights rally in Grand Rapids ahead of Trump’s events, and the Biden campaign held a press conference with Michigan Democrats rejecting Trump’s attacks.
Trump faces 88 felony charges in 4 cases, in addition to his role in inciting violence on Jan. 6, 2021, on trumped-up allegations of election interference and in a separate case involving classified documents.
After Trump took a pause in his crusade after nearly concluding the Republican nomination on March 5, Super Tuesday held the press conference in Michigan on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to hold a rally in Wisconsin in the evening. Trump won either of the two battleground states in 2016, but Biden won them in the 2020 election.
Biden, who also clinched the Democratic nomination on Super Tuesday, has since had a more intense campaign schedule than Trump, traveling to Saginaw on March 14 and at other times to key states such as Arizona, Pennsylvania and Nevada.
In addition to Garcia, Trump also spoke about Laken Riley, a 22-year-old student at a Georgia school who is facing Republican calls for tougher border and immigration policies.
Riley was killed while jogging on the campus of the University of Georgia on Feb. 22. The suspect in the case is Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, a Venezuelan who is in the country illegally.
“Just a few weeks ago, I met with the grieving family of Laken Riley. She’s amazing, the most level-headed in her class. All the most sensible. She’s the most level-headed of all. She’s amazing. . . [and] barbarically murdered through an illegal process. “Alien animal,” Trump said. I’ll use the word animal because that’s what they are. . . They are not human; they are animals.
Michigan Democrats, pro-immigration teams postpone Trump’s visit to Grand Rapids
At a news conference last week related to Garcia’s case, Kent County District Attorney Chris Becker said he didn’t need to get into the suspect’s immigration prestige policy, but tried to draw attention to the case as “another case. “related homicides,” which has happened “all too often” in recent years.
Becker spoke of a similar domestic violence murder case in the county in May 2023, where a woman, 22-year-old Leah Gomez, was shot and killed in her car by the father of her one-year-old child, who was also in the car. .
“It’s not a one-time thing, it’s anything we’re seeing. . . This is the second case in less than a year where we have found ourselves in similar circumstances,” Becker said. “We don’t need that to happen. the worst domestic violence situation.
Becker asked if any incidents of domestic violence committed through Ortiz-Vite had ever been reported to police, but he declined to specify that he was not aware of any private policy orders filed.
– Andrea Inostroza Castro, Open Doors
When an abuser’s immigration standing is rarely very strong, victims may be hesitant to contact police or seek help, Becker said. And a victim’s immigration standing can be used through an abuser to abuse their strength to another extent and continue the cycle of abuse.
“If you look at domestic violence, which is a case of domestic violence, there’s a cycle of violence and control. One thing is control,” Becker said. You have this prestige of immigration and the strain that it puts on those who suffer from it in terms of not cooperating with the police and not helping the authorities in that way. So it’s a completely different dynamic that we’re seeing in Kent County.
Providing care, regardless of a person’s immigration status, with a cultural understanding of the Latino community, that’s what Open Doors in Grand Rapids is all about, founder Andrea Inostroza-Castro told Advance ahead of Trump’s visit. The organization speaks English and Spanish and the purpose is to “empower Latin American women to make possible healthy choices and live free from violence. “
“The lack of a cultural component [affects] many other organizations. There are limits [and] they call us because they have subsidies; They have money to paint with Latin netpaintings, but they didn’t know how to make them technical. What was done is to close the gaps,” Inostroza-Castro said.
He added that the Latino network was very scared when the former president announced that he would organize an event after Garcia’s murder.
“People are going to see [this] — immigrants, other undocumented people — and it’s going to stir up a lot of hate. Hatred will take precedence over violence,” Inostroza-Castro said. The number of women who have died, murdered through their intimate partners here in Michigan is horrific. “
Law enforcement and domestic violence advocates told Advance over the past year that the fatal nature of domestic violence has increased in recent years. Issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the current housing crisis have made it harder for sufferers to escape their abusers, experts say. say.
“It’s something that’s been hurting women for so long. It’s not about immigration at all,” Inostroza-Castro said of domestic violence.
The use of anti-immigration rhetoric contributes to the concept that a person’s immigration standing makes them unworthy of help, Inostroza-Castro said. Many sufferers are also convinced that they or their family members will be deported if they seek help.
“The Latino network has a tendency to deal with their disorders and manage their progress in their own home, because of culture, family, religion. . . We are the bridge between the court and the Latino network. “I want to know that you have rights as a person, regardless of your immigration status,” Inostroza-Castro said. “You have rights as a person. “
SUPPORT THE NEWS YOU SHARE.
This report was first published through Michigan Advance, a component of the nonprofit news network States Newsroom. It is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains its editorial independence. Please contact Editor Susan J. Demas if you have any questions: info@michiganadvance. com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.
Louisiana Illuminator is owned by States Newsroom, a grant-funded, nonprofit news network and donor coalition as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains its editorial independence. Please contact editor Greg LaRose if you have any questions: info@lailluminator. com. Follow the Louisiana Illuminator on Facebook and Twitter.
Anna Liz Nichols covers government and national issues, including criminal justice, environmental issues, education, and domestic and sexual violence. Anna is a former state government reporter for the Associated Press and, most recently, a reporter for the Detroit News. Graduated from Michigan State University.
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The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization whose project is to shed light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they impact the lives of Louisianans every day. Our in-depth investigations, reports, news reports, and observational assistance give citizens a sense of how state policies help or harm them and their neighbors across the state.
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