Former President Donald Trump told supporters at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Tuesday that he had spoken with the family of Ruby Garcia, the 25-year-old woman allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant.
But Garcia’s sister said Trump had not spoken to anyone in the family, and she criticized him for politicizing her sister’s death.
“He didn’t talk to any of us,” said Ruby’s sister, Marvi Garcia Interview with NBC affiliate WOOD-TV. “So it was kind of shocking to see him talk to us … on live TV saying that he’s misinformed people,” he said.
When asked to confirm whether Trump had indeed spoken to a member of Ruby Garcia’s family, the Trump campaign declined to comment on the record. A source familiar with the matter said the campaign is keeping secret who she spoke with and the content of the conversations unless the family agreed to share.
Garcia said neither Trump nor anyone working on his presidential campaign had spoken to any of his family members. He expressed his displeasure with the former president for politicizing the death of his sister, whose body was found with gunshot wounds on the highway in late March.
“It’s always been about illegal immigrants,” he said. “Nobody talks about when Americans commit heinous crimes, and why he brings up illegals is shocking. What about Americans who commit heinous crimes?
He added that hearing Trump’s claim was “shocking” and stopped watching his statements after that.
At a Trump event on Tuesday, he said, “Ruby’s loved ones and the public are saddened by what they said to this incredible young woman. They said she had the most infectious laugh and when she walked into a room, she lit up the room. , and I’ve heard that from a lot of people. I’ve been with some of her family.” I have spoken.”
Trump told Detroit radio host Justin Barclay before the campaign stop on Monday: “I would love to [Garcia] family there. If they want to be there. It would be my honor. I will make sure that they can come back and coordinate with my people.”
The Garcia family did not respond to several requests for further comment from NBC News.
According to WOOD-TV, court records show that suspect Brandon Ortiz-Vite admitted to killing Garcia and dumping her on a highway in Grand Rapids. At a Michigan event on Tuesday, Trump claimed that Ortiz-Wite was deported in 2020 and illegally returned to the United States during the Biden administration.
A statement from a spokeswoman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that Ortiz-Vite was taken to Mexico on September 29, 2020, when Mr Trump was still president, but it was unclear when he returned. Ortiz-Vite returned to the U.S. “on an unknown date and location … without verification by an immigration official,” ICE said in a statement.
According to ICE, Ortiz-Vite’s DACA status expired on May 19, 2019. He was arrested on August 30, 2020 on domestic charges and deported in September of that year.
Trump at promotional events often emphasizes crime rates iin the United States and regularly blames migrants. For example, he repeatedly brought up the death of Laken Riley, a college student who was killed while jogging in Georgia in February. The suspect is a Venezuelan citizen who entered the United States illegally in 2022.
Before Tuesday’s event, Democrats criticized Trump for trying to “politicize the tragedy.”
In a statement before the rally, Biden-Harris 2024 Michigan Communications Director Alyssa Bradley said, “Donald Trump is coming to Grand Rapids, where he is expected to once again try to politicize tragedy and sow seeds of hatred and division to hide from his record of failing Michiganders.”
“Ruby Garcia’s death was a terrible tragedy,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in a call with reporters Tuesday morning, but “Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are willing to use Ruby’s death for their own policies.”
“Frankly, I think it’s a shame,” he said.
Jillian Frankel and Nnamdi Egwuonwu contributed.