White House Points to Fort Myers Hammer Killing as Trump Heads to Florida Rally, Blaming Biden-Era Release
Ahead of Trump's Friday rally, a White House spokeswoman cited the April killing of a gas station clerk allegedly by a Haitian national who had a removal order and later Temporary Protected Status. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
The White House is using a Florida murder case to frame the immigration argument as President Trump prepares to speak in Fort Myers. Fox News Digital reports the case exclusively.
The rally. Trump is scheduled to speak Friday at 2 p.m. at Alico Arena at Florida Gulf Coast University, less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterms. The White House says it wants to spotlight his immigration enforcement record, and it is pointing to a killing in the same city.
The case. A gas station clerk and mother of two teenage daughters died in April after being struck repeatedly in the head with a hammer outside the station in Fort Myers. Haitian national Rolbert Joachim is accused. DHS says surveillance video shows the suspect smashing the woman's windshield and then attacking her in daylight. Police asked ICE for help finding him, and he was arrested on Mango Street. According to Fox, Joachim has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge and prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty.
The immigration history. DHS says Joachim entered the country in August 2022 and was released under the Biden administration. A federal judge issued a final removal order against him that year. He later received Temporary Protected Status, which expired in 2024. TPS lets eligible nationals of certain countries stay and work temporarily because of conditions at home. It does not confer permanent residency. DHS said in April that ICE had lodged a detainer against him and that he would face deportation regardless of how the criminal case ends.
The White House message. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox the Biden administration both released the suspect and gave him TPS, calling the killing "the result of Democrats open-border policies." Trump said in April that the video was "one of the most vicious things you will ever see."
The White House also says there have been 17 straight months without releases at the border and more than 3 million deportations. Those figures come from the White House, and we have not checked them. Fox's own related headline cites 15 straight months, so the figures are not consistent across the coverage.
Keep in mind that Joachim is accused, not convicted.