(Source: MIRS.news, Published 03/27/2024) Wednesday U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) criticized the politicization by Republicans of the death of Ruby Garcia, a Grand Rapids resident who was killed Friday by her boyfriend, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, an illegal immigrant who was previously deported before returning to the United States.
Scholten said it’s “horrible” to see polarization without expressing sorrow over Garcia’s death. Scholten has a background in immigration law and worked for the Department of Justice under the Obama Administration, crafting immigration policies.
Scholten said her Republican counterparts politicize these issues but don’t take action on immigration reform so that they can use it as a campaign talking point.
Scholten is a co-sponsor of the Dignity Act, and she said there’s also a bipartisan border security supplemental that originated in the Senate that Republican leadership hasn’t taken up in the House.
“It’s an insult to the death of Ruby Garcia that they’re refusing to take action,” Scholten said.
Both bills contain billions of dollars disbursed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), technology enhancements and the border directly.
The Kent County Sherriff’s Office (KCSO) said Wednesday that Ortiz-Vite, a 25-year-old man, has had run-ins with law enforcement before. He had an ICE detainer filed against him, an extension to hold an individual at a local law enforcement agency in custody while ICE agents decide whether to engage federal law enforcement. He was deported in 2020 under the Trump administration.
Several Republican state legislators and political leaders have publicly pointed to Garcia’s death as a wake-up call for border security.
House Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo) said President Joe Biden has been a failure on border policy and more needs to be done to crack down on illegal immigration.
“Joe Biden’s failure to secure the border has allowed multitudes of illegals, including dangerous criminals, to break into our country,” he said. “This illegal immigration crisis has bred deadly consequences right here in Michigan. A secure border would have kept Ruby Garcia’s murderer out of our state and nation, but Democrats have refused to fully enforce our immigration laws and national security.”
Rep. Gina Johnsen (R-Lake Odessa) said her heart goes out to Garcia’s family, calling on the federal government to take decisive action to secure the border. Rep. Angela Riggs (R-Alto) also expressed her condolences, stating the loss is felt by the entire community.
“This tragedy is a stark reminder that we are failing at meeting the safety and security standards that citizens expect,” Rigas said. “No family should ever have to endure the pain and anguish caused by an individual who is here illegally.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, an organization focused on electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate, sent out two statements calling out U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) and 7th Congressional District hopeful Curtis Hertel for not commenting on the death.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) appeared on the MSNBC show Katy Tur Reports to talk about a Democrat who won a seat in Alabama’s state legislature for campaigning on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) protections.
Scholten was in Grand Rapids Wednesday at the Urban League to announce a federal investment secured in one of 15 community projects she was granted that would help the League turn a building next door into a youth facility, called A League of Their Own.
A League of Their Own would provide kids job and college readiness training and a safe place in the community.
It’s funded by the Congresswoman advocating through the appropriations process for projects in her district she wants to prioritize. She said the whole of the Michigan Congressional delegation understands the importance of advocating for at-risk youth, but that U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-Oakland County) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) advocated for it, as well.
