The family of a Maryland mother of five whose suspected killer is an illegal immigrant was “shocked to hear” Vice President Harris this week defend the White House’s handling of the southern border between 2022 and 2023 with a porous policy the Democrat administration later backed away from.
The timeframe in question is when her suspected killer snuck into the U.S. despite having an Interpol warrant in connection with another woman’s murder in his home country of El Salvador.
The Biden-Harris administration later backtracked on its migrant policy amid mounting public pressure, which the House Committee on Homeland Security dubbed a “historic border crisis.”
Harris, the 2024 Democrat presidential nominee, told CNN host Anderson Cooper during a town hall on Wednesday night that she thinks the administration “did the right thing” as record numbers of people crossed the border during those years.
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Democrat presidential candidate Vice President Harris takes a question from the audience as CNN moderator Anderson Cooper looks on during a town hall event at Sun Center Studios, Oct. 23, 2024, in Aston, Pa. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, who is accused of abducting Morin from a jogging trail before brutally sexually assaulting and killing her, entered the U.S. illegally in early 2023 after being turned away three times before, according to authorities.
Then he allegedly raped a woman and her 9-year-old daughter in California before going to Maryland, where Morin’s remains were found battered and stuffed into a culvert.
“Rachel didn’t get a chance at life because they failed to act. We cannot allow other American families to endure this same pain.”
Cooper asked Harris specifically about Biden-Harris administration decisions in 2022 and 2023 that allowed the border influx to go on unaddressed.
A photo of Rachel Morin is posted to a tree along the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Md., on Aug. 10, 2023. The mother of five was murdered on the trail. (Mega for Fox News Digital)
“Do you wish you had done those executive orders in 2022 and 2023?” Cooper asked.
“I think we did the right thing,” the vice president said.
Morin’s mother, Patty Morin, told Fox News Digital the response left her heartbroken and disappointed.
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“Hearing Vice President Harris say they did the right thing is a painful reminder of the failure that led to the death of my daughter,” she said. “Why didn’t they do both if it was within their power to act in 2022 or 2023? Rachel didn’t get a chance at life because they failed to act. We cannot allow other American families to endure this same pain.”
Patty Morin, right, testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., about border policy and the death of her daughter in Maryland. Alexis Nungaray, left, testified about the killing of her 12-year-old daughter in Houston. (Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The Morin family has become advocates for increased border security, appealing to Congress in front of House and Senate committees for stricter vetting requirements at the border, even for migrants who are granted entry.
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“The Morin family continues to advocate for stricter immigration policies and urges the administration to take immediate action to prevent further tragedies,” the family’s attorney, Randolph Rice, said in a statement. “Rachel’s legacy is a call for change, and her family remains committed to seeking justice and safety for all American families.”
Harris’ critics have hammered her over the administration’s handling of a major influx of migrants over the southern border. Some police departments and big-city mayors have blamed the White House for a spike in migrant crime and unprecedented strains on their shelter systems.
President Biden and Vice President Harris walk to an event in the East Room of the White House on Sept. 26, 2024. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Reporters asked Harris again on Thursday about whether she supported a border wall, and she said she supported a failed bipartisan bill that would have created a pathway to citizenship as part of the compromise. (The campaign of Harris’ GOP opponent, Donald Trump, has blasted it as a “mass amnesty bill.”)
“I will tell you that my highest priority is to put the resources into ensuring that our border is secure, which is why I’ve been very clear,” she said. “I’m going to bring back up as president that bipartisan border security bill and make sure that it is brought to my desk so I can sign it into law.”
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Harris also addressed potentially continuing work on Trump’s border wall Wednesday night.
“Let’s talk about this compromise bill that you want to pass if you are elected,” Cooper said to Harris. “You said that’s going to be a priority. It includes $650 million in funding for the border wall. That’s something Republicans wanted that was part of the compromise. Under Donald Trump, you criticized the wall more than 50 times. You called it ‘stupid, useless and a medieval vanity project.’ Is a border wall stupid?”
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump comforts Patty Morin, whose daughter was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant, at the U.S.-Mexico border on Aug. 22, 2024, south of Sierra Vista, Ariz. (Rebecca Noble)
“Let’s talk about Donald Trump on that border wall,” Harris replied, breaking out in laughter. “So remember, Donald Trump said Mexico would pay for it. Come on, they didn’t. How much of that wall did he build? I think the last number I saw was about 2%. And then when it came time for him to do a photo op, you know, where he did it? In the part of the wall that President Obama built.”
Cooper reminded her of her more recent support for a bill that would have earmarked $650 million to go into the border wall and eventually re-asked the question.
“So you don’t think it’s stupid anymore?” Cooper continued.
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“I think what he did and how he did it was did not make much sense because he actually didn’t do much of anything. I just talked about that wall, right? We just talked about it. He didn’t actually do much of anything,” she said.
Harris’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
