Mother of Rachel Morin ‘so grateful’ for Trump’s return to White House, plan to enforce border security
Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant, reacts to President-elect Trump’s plan on the southern border to crack down on illegal immigration.
Patty Morin told Fox News she is "so grateful" President-elect Trump is returning to the White House to enforce border security after her daughter, Rachel, was murdered by an illegal immigrant in Maryland in 2023.
"I know President Trump will keep his word and help protect our country," said Morin in an emotional "Fox & Friends" appearance, Tuesday.
Morin said Trump met with her during the campaign and promised to tackle border security. The interview came one day after former ICE Director Tom Homan was named by Trump to be the border czar and oversee deportations of criminal migrants.
"One of the first things he said was, 'we're going to close the borders, we're going to bring justice for Rachel and for the other families.'"
Morin said she believes the laws that are passed should be nonpartisan because the border affects "every family."
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Rachel Morin's mother, Patty Morin, met with former President Trump during his visit to the border in Cochise County, Arizona, on Thursday. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/ Facebook/ Rebecca Noble)
In 2023, Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was killed while on a jog in Bel Air, Maryland by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who crossed the border the same year.
Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez was charged with the murder and rape of Morin and was previously wanted for homicide in El Salvador and has ties to criminal gangs.
Meanwhile, Democratic governors are claiming that they will "fight back" against Trump's immigration policies.
"You come for my people, you come through me," said Democrat Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
"If you try to harm New Yorkers or roll back their rights, I will fight you every step of the way," said Democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
"If there is any attack on the Garden State or on any of its communities from Washington, I will fight back with every fiber of my being," said Democrat New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
Morin said the illegal immigrant accused of killing her daughter was "fast-tracked" into the country and the "basic policies and laws" already on the books could have stopped him from entering.
She added that if more was done to identify him and look into his background, her daughter would still be alive.
"If they had just did the standard DNA swab, they would have found out all that information. They had three opportunities at the border. And it was actually the fourth time when he was a gotaway, but if they had done it at any of those other three times, it could have saved my daughter's life."
Morin said she does not understand the arguments made from those who are opposing Trump's immigration stance.
"They're more interested in destabilizing our country. For what reason? God only knows. It's unconscionable," she said.
"I can't imagine that you're willing to give up and have casualties for the sake of whatever your agenda is."
Since Trump's election, morale among Border Patrol is "through the roof" according to National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom has also spoken out about Trump's incoming administration and is convening a special session with the California legislature to "safeguard California values and rights" from the Trump administration, according to NBC.
Additionally, members of the Los Angeles City Council say they are working to expedite a law declaring Los Angeles a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants following President-elect Trump's victory last week.
The law would ban federal immigration officials from accessing city databases and ban city resources from being used for immigration enforcement. The ordnance was originally passed last year, but it has faced a lengthy legal review and has yet to take effect.
Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report
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