Washington, D.C.: Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin — a U.S. citizen who was brutally raped and murdered in August 2023 — delivered a deeply emotional testimony at a White House press briefing on Wednesday. Rachel was killed while hiking on a trail in Bel Air, Maryland, by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, later identified as Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt used the occasion to strongly criticise the Democratic Party’s stance on immigration. She specifically condemned Maryland Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen for reportedly flying to El Salvador, allegedly using taxpayer money, in connection with deported MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
“Maryland’s Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen rushed to Dulles Airport this morning to fly to El Salvador, potentially using taxpayer dollars to demand the release of deported illegal alien, MS-13 terrorist. The Democrats and the media in this room have continually and wrongly labeled Kilmar Abrego Garcia as a Maryland father. There is no Maryland father. Let me reiterate. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is an illegal alien, MS-13 gang member, and foreign terrorist who was deported back to his home country… Abrego Garcia was also arrested with two other well-known members of the vicious MS-13 gang. And two separate judges found that Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13, and that finding has never been disputed. He will never live in the United States of America again,” Leavitt said.
She further stated:
“The basic fact that he was illegally inside our country and had a lawful deportation order made him subject to removal back to his home country of El Salvador, and if he ever ends up back in the United States, he would immediately be deported again.”
Slamming Democratic leadership, Leavitt said:
“It’s appalling and sad that Senator Van Hollen and the Democrats applauding his trip to El Salvador today are incapable of having any shred of common sense or empathy for their own constituents and our citizens.”
Leavitt then introduced Patty Morin, saying:
“Patty Morin, whose beautiful daughter Rachel was brutally maimed and murdered at the hands of an illegal alien in August of 2023. Patty should not have to be here today, but she is. Patty no longer has her daughter because of the failed Democrat party’s open border, and these are policies that President Trump is bringing an end to.”
In a heartbreaking address, Patty shared the brutal details of her daughter’s murder and the trauma it left behind.
“There wasn’t one inch of her body that didn’t have some kind of injury, whether it’s bruising, broken bones, contusions, or scratches. She had a fractured rib, fractured nose, and fractured skull,” Patty said, her voice filled with grief.
Recalling the courtroom scenes, she added:
“When he (Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez) was sitting in the courtroom, he looked like he thought he was going to be set free. There was no remorse on his face at all.”
She went on to say that the nature of the assault was so gruesome that the photographic evidence had to be sealed to protect her grandchildren.
“These are the kind of criminals President Trump wants to remove from our country. These are the kind of criminals that we need to remove from our country. We are American citizens. Why should we allow people like these–violent criminals, that have no conscience at all — to murder our mothers, our sisters, our daughters? I don’t understand why there’s even any kind of problem with this.”
Her account left the briefing room in stunned silence. No reporter asked any questions afterward, as the emotional weight of her words hung heavy in the air.
The remarks came as Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, a fugitive from El Salvador, was recently convicted for the murder of Rachel Morin. The case has reignited fierce debate over illegal immigration and national security, particularly as the 2026 political climate grows more intense.