A Haitian migrant has been accused of a fatal beating at a Florida petrol station - a violent attack US President Donald Trump seized on to argue for stricter immigration policies. Rolbert Joachin is charged with homicide after he allegedly struck a woman repeatedly with a hammer and killed her on 3 April, US officials said on Friday. Trump shared a graphic video of the incident and reiterated his calls to end deportation protections for Haitian migrants.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to eliminate deportation protections for more than 350,000 Haitian immigrants, who are allowed to live and work in the US with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), in February. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the video of the slaying was one of the most vicious things you will ever see. He said this one killing should be enough for judges to stop impeding my Administration's Immigration Policies.
The video, also shared online by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), shows a man striking a woman with an object before she falls to the ground. He then hits her several more times. It's senseless. It's a video you can never unwatch, said Micah McCombs from Homeland Security Investigations during a news conference.
Joachin was arrested shortly after the incident, and the DHS noted he would face deportation regardless of his case outcome. He entered the US in August 2022 but had a federal removal order, later granted TPS which is due to expire in 2024.
While the Trump administration argues TPS has been abused, the Supreme Court is set to review the status for Haitians, amid concerns over the TPS program potentially affecting other migrants from various crisis-affected countries.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to eliminate deportation protections for more than 350,000 Haitian immigrants, who are allowed to live and work in the US with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), in February. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the video of the slaying was one of the most vicious things you will ever see. He said this one killing should be enough for judges to stop impeding my Administration's Immigration Policies.
The video, also shared online by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), shows a man striking a woman with an object before she falls to the ground. He then hits her several more times. It's senseless. It's a video you can never unwatch, said Micah McCombs from Homeland Security Investigations during a news conference.
Joachin was arrested shortly after the incident, and the DHS noted he would face deportation regardless of his case outcome. He entered the US in August 2022 but had a federal removal order, later granted TPS which is due to expire in 2024.
While the Trump administration argues TPS has been abused, the Supreme Court is set to review the status for Haitians, amid concerns over the TPS program potentially affecting other migrants from various crisis-affected countries.
