Mother of Murdered Maryland Woman Criticizes Senator Over El Salvador Trip Amid Immigration Debate.

...
 In the United States, Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin — a 37-year-old woman who was raped and murdered while jogging on a public hiking trail in Maryland in August 2023 — has publicly criticized her home state senator during a White House press briefing, intensifying debate over immigration and public safety.

Rachel Morin, a mother of five, was killed on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland. The suspect, 24-year-old Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested and convicted on April 14, 2025, for first-degree murder and first-degree rape in connection with the brutal killing.

 US authorities later revealed that Martinez-Hernandez had illegally entered the United States after allegedly committing a separate homicide in El Salvador. He was also linked to a violent home invasion in Los Angeles in 2023.

...
At the White House event on April 16, 2025, Patty Morin recounted the tragic circumstances of her daughter’s death and openly condemned Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.

 The senator had recently traveled to El Salvador to advocate for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was deported despite a court order preventing his removal. 

The deportation had been part of broader federal enforcement against individuals suspected of gang affiliations.

...

Abrego Garcia, while not formally charged, was labeled by Trump administration officials as a potential MS-13 gang associate. 

Senator Van Hollen, however, described Garcia’s deportation as unconstitutional, calling it a “direct challenge to the authority of the courts” and demanding his return to the United States.

...
During her remarks, Morin criticized what she viewed as misplaced priorities, accusing Senator Van Hollen of focusing on defending the rights of deported criminals rather than standing with families like hers who have suffered devastating losses. 

“It feels as though my daughter’s life meant less to those in power than the well-being of dangerous fugitives,” Morin said.

Her comments quickly gained traction in US media, and reignited a heated national discussion over immigration policy, border enforcement, and gang violence. 

It also drew sharp partisan criticism, with conservative lawmakers and commentators accusing Senator Van Hollen of undermining public safety, while others defended his actions as a matter of upholding constitutional protections and legal process.

The Rachel Morin case had already captured national attention as one of the most high-profile violent crimes in Maryland’s recent history.

 Martinez-Hernandez’s illegal entry into the country and violent background have fueled broader anxieties about the handling of undocumented immigrants with criminal histories.

As US lawmakers continue to debate immigration reform, border security, and public safety, Patty Morin has emerged as a powerful voice representing victims’ families, calling for stronger protections and greater accountability from elected officials.

...
The case remains a painful symbol of the human cost behind US immigration policy disputes, and it has once again placed violent crime by undocumented fugitives at the center of America’s national conversation.

See also:Today in history, On April 17, 1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.