Donald Trump attacks Joe Biden during immigration debate after Harford County case – Baltimore Sun

A week after arresting a Harford County murder suspect who entered the country illegally, former President Donald Trump attacked President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, saying in a debate Thursday night, “We no longer have borders.”

“We had the most secure border in the history of our country. He decided to open our border. Now we have the worst border in history,” Trump said.

Biden responded during the scheduled 90-minute debate that Republicans had the opportunity to restrict border crossings but had not taken advantage of that opportunity.

While discussing immigration, Trump said he had spoken with the mother of a murder victim. A week ago, he called and offered his condolences to the mother of Rachel Morin, the 37-year-old Harford County mother of five who was killed by a man from El Salvador. However, it is unclear whether he was referring to that conversation or a conversation with another mother, as he then mentioned the killing of a 12-year-old girl in Texas.

The CNN debate was the first in the election campaign between Democrat Biden and Republican Trump, who is again vying for the presidency after losing re-election to Biden in 2020.

The Harford County killing became part of the presidential campaign after El Salvadoran Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 14 and extradited to Maryland last Thursday.

He is accused of raping and murdering Morin, whose body was found last August in a wooded area near the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air and Forest Hill.

Trump referred to Morin’s killing in campaign statements and at a rally in Philadelphia last Saturday when he criticized Biden’s “open borders policy.”

A conservative group, Building America’s Future, posted a new social media ad Wednesday highlighting Morin’s killing and the fatal beating of Laken Riley, a University of Georgia student, during a morning jog in February. Charges have been filed against Jose Ibarra, 26, a migrant from Venezuela.

Last Thursday, Trump called Morin’s mother to express his condolences.

Trump and his supporters had already sharply attacked Biden over his border policy, an area where they believe he is vulnerable.

Earlier this year, a bipartisan Senate group, including Republican James Lankford of Oklahoma and Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut, negotiated a bill to reduce border crossings. Republicans shelved the bill, which would also have tightened asylum requirements, in February and blocked a similar bill in May after Trump objected.

Governor Wes Moore, who also sent his condolences to Patty Morin, and other Maryland Democrats accused Republicans of opposing the measure because it could have helped Biden politically.

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Martinez-Hernandez attempted to enter the country illegally three times in January and February 2023 and was turned away each time. According to ICE, he managed to enter the country near El Paso, Texas, in mid-February.

At the time, a program initiated by Trump called Title 42 was still in effect. The program, which Biden repealed in May 2023, prevented would-be border crossers from seeking asylum in the United States to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

According to Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, authorities believe Martinez-Hernandez killed a woman in El Salvador before entering the United States.

Gahler, a Republican, told reporters last Saturday: “To 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and to all members of both houses of Congress: We are 1,800 miles from the southern border here in Harford County and American citizens are not safe because of a failed immigration policy.”

The sheriff has previously complained about Democratic policies, accusing state lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly in 2023 of supporting “pro-crime, anti-police” bills.

Harford, a Republican-leaning district, voted for Trump in 2020 – 54.6% to 42.6% – over Biden.

But Biden easily won the state, 65.4% to 32.2%.