Trump lied about talking to family of woman killed by man illegally in US, they say
During a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, former President Donald Trump said he has spoken to the family of Ruby Garcia, a woman allegedly killed by a Mexican citizen who was in the United States illegally.
But the family of the 25-year-old woman said that is not true.
“No, he did not speak with us,” Mavi Garcia, Ruby Garcia’s sister, told WXMI.
Trump’s comments were made more than a week after Ruby Garcia was found shot and killed on a Grand Rapids road late Friday, March 22, McClatchy News reported.
On March 26, Michigan State Police announced the arrest of Brandon Ortiz-Vite, who is charged with felony murder in Garcia’s death. Ortiz-Vite and Garcia had been in a “romantic relationship,” authorities said.
Federal officials said Ortiz-Vite, a citizen of Mexico, was deported from the U.S. in 2020 following a drunk driving arrest but returned to the country illegally.
Trump’s campaign speech Tuesday, April 2, in Grand Rapids largely focused on ongoing tension at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to The Associated Press.
He invoked Garcia’s name as he spoke of a “bloodbath” at the border that he blames on President Joe Biden, the AP reported.
“Ruby’s loved ones and community are left grieving for this incredible young woman. Remembering what they called her, they said she had the most contagious laughter, and when she walked into a room, she lit up that room,” Trump said. “And I’ve heard that from so many people. I spoke to some of her family.”
Mavi Garcia told WOOD-TV “it was kind of shocking” hearing Trump “misinforming people on live TV.”
Trump also said Garcia was 17, according to the AP, but she was 25.
In a Facebook post March 28, Mavi Garcia asked for her sister’s death to stop being politicized.
“It’s always been about illegal immigrants,” she told WOOD-TV. “Nobody really speaks about when Americans do heinous crimes, and it’s kind of shocking why he would just bring up illegals. What about Americans who do heinous crimes like that?”
“The focus should be on my sister right now, who she was in life,” she added. “I want people to remember who she was in life.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2024 at 5:49 AM with the headline "Trump lied about talking to family of woman killed by man illegally in US, they say."