A Haitian migrant has been accused of a fatal beating at a Florida petrol station - a violent attack US President Donald Trump seized on to argue for stricter immigration policies. Rolbert Joachin is charged with homicide after he allegedly struck a woman repeatedly with a hammer and killed her on April 3, US officials said on Friday.
Trump shared a graphic video of the incident and reiterated his calls to end deportation protections for Haitian migrants. A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to eliminate deportation protections for over 350,000 Haitian immigrants, who are allowed to live and work in the US with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), in February.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the video of the slaying was 'one of the most vicious things you will ever see'. He stated 'this one killing should be enough' for judges to stop 'impeding my Administration's Immigration Policies'.
The video, which was also shared online by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), shows a man striking a woman in the head with an object before she falls backwards onto the pavement. He is then seen hitting her six more times on the head and torso before walking away. It's senseless. It's a video you can never unwatch, Micah McCombs, special agent in charge with Homeland Security Investigations, said during a news conference on Friday.
Local police requested the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to locate Joachin in Fort Myers, and he was subsequently arrested. Joachin entered the US in August 2022 and had a federal order of removal against him, but was granted TPS which expires in 2024. TPS prevents deportation for immigrants from nations deemed unsafe.
The Trump administration has frequently argued that TPS encourages illegal immigration and has been over-used by Democrats. The US Supreme Court is set to hear a case regarding TPS for Haitians, with oral arguments scheduled for later this month. Haitians were granted TPS following the 2010 earthquake and have had their status extended multiple times, most recently under the Biden administration.
Joachin 'will be deported regardless of the outcome' of his case, according to DHS.
Trump shared a graphic video of the incident and reiterated his calls to end deportation protections for Haitian migrants. A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to eliminate deportation protections for over 350,000 Haitian immigrants, who are allowed to live and work in the US with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), in February.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the video of the slaying was 'one of the most vicious things you will ever see'. He stated 'this one killing should be enough' for judges to stop 'impeding my Administration's Immigration Policies'.
The video, which was also shared online by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), shows a man striking a woman in the head with an object before she falls backwards onto the pavement. He is then seen hitting her six more times on the head and torso before walking away. It's senseless. It's a video you can never unwatch, Micah McCombs, special agent in charge with Homeland Security Investigations, said during a news conference on Friday.
Local police requested the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to locate Joachin in Fort Myers, and he was subsequently arrested. Joachin entered the US in August 2022 and had a federal order of removal against him, but was granted TPS which expires in 2024. TPS prevents deportation for immigrants from nations deemed unsafe.
The Trump administration has frequently argued that TPS encourages illegal immigration and has been over-used by Democrats. The US Supreme Court is set to hear a case regarding TPS for Haitians, with oral arguments scheduled for later this month. Haitians were granted TPS following the 2010 earthquake and have had their status extended multiple times, most recently under the Biden administration.
Joachin 'will be deported regardless of the outcome' of his case, according to DHS.
