The mother of a woman allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador gave emotional testimony to lawmakers Wednesday about the moment she learned of her daughter's death, testifying that the U.S. border is “not safe.”
Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was murdered in Maryland last year, testified at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the border crisis.
Police found Rachel's body stuffed inside a culvert and, after a months-long investigation, identified the suspect in her murder as an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who also faces charges for the murder of a mother and her 9-year-old daughter in his home country and in Los Angeles.
“It was a total shock to our whole family. It took us 10 months to find this suspected illegal immigrant,” she told lawmakers.
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Patty Morin, whose daughter was murdered, testified at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on September 18, 2024. (Tasos Katpodis/Getty Images)
“I heard that some illegal immigrants fleeing El Salvador had ambushed her on the road. They grabbed her, dragged her through the woods, raped her, strangled her and killed her. I heard that her body was covered in bruises. I saw her when I went to the funeral home and it was probably the most brutal sight I've ever seen,” she said.
Public hearings, “A Nation Without Borders: How the Biden-Harris Open Border Policy Has Made Us Less Safe and Secure” featured lawmakers engaging in acrimonious bickering over who is to blame for the border crisis that has seen historic numbers of migrants storm the border and, as part of it, many criminals released into the United States.
Ahead of the hearing, Republicans released a report sharply criticizing the Biden administration's policies and holding the administration responsible for the crisis and its aftermath.
Rachel Morin was dragged off a hiking trail on August 5, 2023 and brutally murdered. (Handouts for families)
“We continue to watch as Biden and Harris refuse to take meaningful action on this disaster, and we must ask why? Why have they allowed this crisis to happen, why have they allowed it to continue,” Chairman Mark Green told the committee.
Biden-Harris Border Crisis: Victims of Illegal Immigrant Crimes Testify at House Hearing
Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for the crisis, but the administration and Democrats say Congress is to blame for failing to pass broader immigration reform to fix a “broken” system and provide additional funding. They point in particular to a bipartisan Senate bill that would have increased funding and limited refugee admissions, a bill Republicans have refused to support, saying it would have enshrined the high number of refugees at the border into law.
The delays prompted President Biden to sign an order in June restricting entry into the U.S. The administration says encounters at the border have plummeted since then.
“While you probably won't hear it from the other side, border encounters have been at their lowest levels in years since the President's June 4th proclamation, with encounters along the border and at ports of entry down 55 percent and Border Patrol recording the lowest number of border encounters since September 2020,” said Ranking Member Bennie Thompson.
He also scolded Republicans for not supporting the Senate bill.
Trump meets with Rachel Maureen's family at the border
“Republicans, at the direction of former President Trump, are blocking a bipartisan border deal in the Senate and refusing to mobilize needed border security funding. Republicans don't want a border security solution. They want a political problem.” He said.
But Morin offered a warning to Americans watching the hearing.
“They say the border is safe, but we live 1,800 miles from the southern border. It's not safe. It's not safe. If you have sanctuary cities in your state, they're not safe,” Morin warned.
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Fox News' Michael Lewis contributed to this report.
