Former President Donald Trump on Thursday called the mother of Rachel Maurin, who was brutally raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, saying the grieving mother was “deeply moved” by Trump’s “sincere compassion.”
The condolences from the Republican front-runner came after Patty Maureen slammed President Biden’s Homeland Security secretary for calling him an “individual” whose daughter was killed by a suspected gang member.
Trump spoke at length with Patty about Rachel, a 37-year-old mother of five who was killed in August on a hiking trail in Harford County, Maryland.
In a statement about the call, Patty said she was “deeply touched by President Trump’s kindness and thoughtfulness.”
“He was sincere and really wanted to know how our family was coping,” she added. “He asked about Rachel and offered his sincere sympathy for her untimely death.
“His words have brought me comfort during this very difficult time.”
Officials with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies arrested Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, 23, on Friday for Rachel’s murder.
Martinez-Hernandez is an illegal immigrant who crossed the border four times last year and was wanted for allegedly assaulting a mother and her daughter during a break-in at a home in Los Angeles.
His arrest has reignited debate over the besieged southern border.
Randolph Rice, an attorney for the Morin family, said Rachel’s death should be a wake-up call for lawmakers to do more to enforce the border.
“The need to take immediate action at the border to stop the steady flow of illegal immigration is common sense policy that protects Americans from future crimes,” Rice said in a statement.
“If we can prevent just one murder caused by an illegal immigrant, it will be worth it,” he added.
On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Appeared on CNN He was then asked about Rachel’s murder and his response to critics who say government policies are to blame for violent crime committed by immigrants.
In his response, Mayorkas called Rachel an “individual,” and the next day Patty appeared on Fox News to blast the Homeland Security secretary’s choice of words.
“It’s completely depersonalized her and treated her like an object,” Pati said, adding that no one from the Biden administration has reached out to the grieving family since the arrest of her daughter’s suspected killer.
Martinez-Hernandez, who was arrested inside a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Friday, has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape in her death.
