A grieving mother whose daughter was allegedly raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant has criticised judges who have blocked US President Donald Trump’s deportation flights, accusing them and their Democratic supporters of prioritising criminals over victims.
Patty Morin, 64, lost her daughter, Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, in August 2023. Rachel was found dead near a scenic trail in Maryland, and an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, 23-year-old Victor Martinez Hernandez, has been charged with her murder. His trial is set to begin with jury selection on Tuesday.
Speaking to The Post, Morin expressed strong support for Trump’s efforts to continue deportation flights and criticised judicial decisions that have temporarily halted them. “It’s good because I really believe that the judges are overstepping their boundaries,” she said. “I think that the liberal media is playing that up again, hoping the American citizens don’t know or understand our laws.”
Trump recently invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport members of Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan prison gang linked to violent crimes across the US. However, a federal district judge in Washington, DC, James Boasberg, issued a temporary restraining order blocking further deportations earlier this month. On Wednesday, the DC district court of appeals upheld the injunction, prompting the Trump administration to appeal to the Supreme Court on Friday.
House Republicans have announced plans for hearings on Boasberg’s ruling next week, fueling a political battle that has seen Trump call for the judge’s impeachment. This has drawn criticism from Supreme Court chief justice John Roberts, who called such a response “not appropriate.”
Morin directed her frustration at former President Joe Biden and his administration’s border policies, arguing that they have endangered American lives. “They put every American citizen in harm’s way, every American citizen, and especially the most vulnerable, which are women and children,” she said.
She also condemned Democratic efforts to block the deportation flights, calling them a political maneuver designed to create chaos. “I think this is just a weak attempt by Democrats and liberals to stir up chaos and fear — which is the only thing they really know how to do,” she said. “It really saddens me that all these politicians choose to harbor people that have committed federal crimes.”
Morin, who has previously appeared with Trump on the campaign trail as one of the so-called Angel Moms—parents who lost children due to crimes committed by illegal immigrants—emphasised the need for clear and strict enforcement of immigration laws. “The law should be black and white. Either you break the law, or you uphold the law. There’s no gray area.”
Trump was first elected on a platform promising mass deportations, a policy that has gained traction even among some of his critics. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 60% of respondents supported increasing deportations of illegal immigrants.
According to Trump insiders, his legal battle over deportation flights presents a challenge for Democrats, forcing them to either support his policies or risk appearing to defend foreign criminals. “On the one hand, this is a complex legal question,” a Trump campaign source said. “On the other hand, it is blindingly obvious what the right course of action is — and Americans know that.”
