Rachel Morin's brother blames Biden's 'open borders' for his sister's murder by illegal immigrant
The brother of Rachel Morin, a mother of five who was raped and killed by an illegal immigrant last year, accused President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of allowing people like the man who murdered his sister to enter the country and "victimize the innocent."
Michael Morin spoke on the second night of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, describing his deceased sister as a "joyful, accomplished athlete and mother of five."
The 37-year-old woman was murdered by an illegal immigrant last August while exercising on a trail that Morin said his family frequently explored in rural Harford County, Maryland, north of Baltimore.
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"This beautiful trail was to us a safe place where we pushed our babies in strollers, where we walked together as a family, where my wife and I got married," Morin said.
"Open borders are often portrayed as compassionate and virtuous, but there is nothing compassionate about allowing violent criminals into our country and robbing children of their mother," Morin continued. "My sister's death was preventable. The monster arrested for killing my sister entered the U.S. unlawfully."
The man arrested for killing Rachel Morin, Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is also wanted in El Salvador for murder, according to the Tulsa Police Department. The man fled to the United States and reportedly assaulted a 9-year-old girl and her mother in Los Angeles during a home invasion. At some point, Hernandez made his way to Maryland.
The authorities believe that Hernandez hid in a trail adjacent to the one Rachel was walking when he attacked the woman and killed her before fleeing the state.
The FBI worked with Tulsa Police to locate the migrant, and authorities eventually found Hernandez at a bar. Hernandez initially tried to lie about his identity and the crimes he had committed, according to the report.
During his speech, Michael Morin blamed his sister's death on the Biden administration's border policies, saying that it has allowed for "open borders."
"Joe Biden and his designated border czar Kamala Harris opened borders to him and others like him, empowering them to victimize the innocent," he said. "Yet, to this day, we have not heard from Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. They never apologized."
Michael Morin praised former President Donald Trump for calling his family and offering to meet with them.
"We need real leadership back in the White House," Morin said. "What has gotten us through this unthinkable loss is our faith in Jesus Christ. And as brutal as the murder of my sister was, I pray that her killer will find Jesus Christ."
Reports about the murders of young women like Morin and 26-year-old Laken Riley have fueled discussions about the Biden administration's border policies and how to address illegal immigration.
In February, police arrested Jose Antonio Ibarra in connection with the murder of Riley, a nursing student whose body was discovered on the University of Georgia campus.
Ibarra entered the country illegally through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, and he was reportedly released into the country due to overcrowding at migrant detention centers.
Riley was murdered while jogging around the University of Georgia campus. The authorities later determined that she died from blunt force trauma.
The June murder of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was strangled to death by two illegal immigrants in Houston, Texas, has also raised similar concerns. The suspects, Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and Franklin Pena, had previously been detained and released by U.S. Border Patrol just weeks before the child's murder.
"Martinez and Pena both entered the U.S. illegally without inspection, parole or admission by a U.S. immigration officer on an unknown date and at an unknown location," U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement explained in a statement shared with media.
"On March 14, Martinez was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas. That same day he was released on an order of recognizance with a notice to appear. Pena was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 28 near El Paso. He was also released on an order of recognizance with a notice to appear the same day he was apprehended."
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
