Rachel Morin’s mother, Patti, on Wednesday slammed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for calling her daughter a “private individual,” adding that Biden administration officials have not contacted her or her family.
Patti appeared on “The Ingraham Angle” to speak about Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, a 23-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, who was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of murdering her daughter. After footage of Mayorkas correcting Morin by calling him an “individual” during a CNN interview was played, Fox host Laura Ingraham asked Patti for her thoughts on the comments.
“My reaction is that this is an entirely political statement, because they’re not even acknowledging that she was a woman, that she was a mother and a daughter. This completely dehumanizes and objectifies her,” Patty said.
Randolph Rice, an attorney for Patty’s family, further criticized Biden administration officials, saying the southern border “continues to bleed” while officials are debating “what to do to fix it.” Ingraham then asked Maureen’s mother if she had been contacted by Biden administration officials and what message she wanted to give them. (Related article: “I don’t think I can say that on air”: Brother of mother allegedly killed by illegal immigrant refrains from criticizing Biden)
“Have you heard anything from any Biden administration officials about your daughter and your loss?” Ingram asked.
“No, nobody has contacted me directly. As far as I know, nobody has reached out and reached out to any of my family members,” Patty said.
“What is your message to President Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas? Rachel’s name is not being used, her life is not being recognized. What would you like to say to them tonight?” Ingraham asked.
“My message is, these are Americans. These are the people who help make our country strong. These are the men and women who run our country, who run our economy. Our families, our churches, this is the backbone of America. [is] “It just shows how inhumane we are as Americans to classify my daughter as a statistic rather than acknowledging her as a person, a woman and a mother,” Patty replied.
“That’s insensitive,” Ingraham interjected.
“Yes, and they don’t value life,” Patty added.
In an interview with CNN host Jim Acosta on Tuesday, Mayorkas was asked about authorities’ arrest in Morin’s case, noting that the suspect is an illegal immigrant.
“Obviously, our hearts go out to the children, the family, the loved ones and friends of the individual who was murdered,” Mayorkas said, adding, “And also for that woman, her mother.”
Authorities discovered Morin’s body on a popular hiking trail in Maryland after she was brutally raped and murdered, leaving behind her five children, in August 2023. Martinez Hernandez had an arrest warrant out for him from the international law enforcement agency Interpol after he murdered a woman in El Salvador in January 2023.
However, Martinez-Hernandez is believed to have entered the United States illegally in February 2023 and, just one month after entering the country, is accused of assaulting a 9-year-old girl and her mother in Los Angeles before the attack on Morin.
