Former President Trump talks immigration in Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Former President Donald Trump visited Grand Rapids Tuesday to criticize President Joe Biden’s immigration policies and work to incite fears about crime by immigrants.

“We’re here this afternoon in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1,283 miles from the southern border. You’ve been hearing a lot about the southern border over the last couple of years,” Trump said, showing a graph indicating that border crossings have jumped since he left office.

“Under crooked Joe Biden, every state is now a border state, every town is a border town, because Joe Biden has brought the carnage and chaos and killing from all over the world and dumped it straight in our backyards, ” Trump continued, standing behind a sign that read “Stop Biden’s border bloodbath.”

Federal crime statistics show violent crime dropped nationwide in 2021 and 2022 following a spike in 2020.

Using a platform message he has relied on since his first run for the White House, Trump insisted that immigrants were responsible for crime and said other nations in South America and the Middle East, and specifically noting China, were “sending prisoners, murderers, drug dealers, mental patients and terrorists” to the U.S. — a claim that the Associated Press reports there is no evidence to support — and saying they have “wrecked our country.”

He said that would end “the day that I take office.”

“We want people … to come in, but we want them to come in legally. They have to come in legally. Right now we have an invasion,” Trump told News 8 political reporter Rick Albin after his speech, going on to call the situation “not sustainable.”

Arrests for illegal crossings at the southern border were at a record high in December, dropped significantly in January and then increased slightly in February, the AP reported, citing federal data.

Trump specifically talked about the March 22 death of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia, who authorities said was killed by Brandon Ortiz-Vite. The Kent County prosecutor has said it was a case of domestic abuse that led to homicide.

“Now Ruby’s loved ones and community are left grieving for this incredible young woman. They said she had the most contagious laughter and when she walked into a room she lit up that room. I’ve heard that from so many people. I spoke to some of her family,” Trump said.

Mavi Garcia, Ruby Garcia’s sister, told Target 8 after the speech that neither Trump nor anybody from his campaign has contacted her or anybody in her immediate family.

Family of woman found dead on highway angered by Trump’s speech

Ortiz-Vite came to the U.S. illegally as a child and remained for years under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump took credit for deporting Ortiz-Vite in 2020, after his DACA status lapsed in 2019. Ortiz-Vite later returned to the U.S. illegally, though it’s unclear exactly when.

“We threw him out of the country and crooked Joe Biden let him come back and he viciously killed Ruby,” Trump said. “The illegal alien charged with Ruby’s heinous killing … this is somebody who had many arrests, including for some very bad crimes that he committed, and he was set loose to roam our streets. In this case, set loose to roam in Michigan by politicians that are left and weak and stupid.”

News 8 has record of Ortiz-Vite being arrested twice before the homicide: in the city of Wyoming in 2018 for a property crime and in August 2020 in Grand Rapids for impaired driving and driving without a valid license, after which he was deported. He ultimately called 911 to surrender to authorities for Garcia’s death, court records show.

Think tank says it will take Kent County off ‘sanctuary’ list

Trump also pointed to the May 2023 death of Leah Gomez in Grand Rapids. Luis Bernal-Sosa, the father of her child, was convicted of murder in February. Last week, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said Bernal-Sosa was also in the country illegally.

“Not one more innocent life should be lost to ‘Biden migrant crime.’ The first step to restoring safety in America is to fire crooked Joe Biden. Get him out Nov. 5,” Trump said to applause.

WEST MICHIGAN SHERIFFS ON DRUGS

Trump’s event at DeVos Place Convention Center in downtown Grand Rapids was not a rally but rather a news conference with “local law enforcement and invited guests.” Standing next to the former president, two West Michigan sheriffs argued a porous southern border has led to an increase of drug crime in their jurisdictions.

“Forty percent of our inmates in our jail in Van Buren County have out-of-county residency. Out of the 40% that do not live in our county that we’re feeding every day, 10% of those have addresses from Mexico or Guatemala,” Sheriff Dan Abbott, whose county is in the southwestern part of the state, said. “Put that in perspective: We are a rural community. Ten percent of the folks in our jail are from Mexico or Guatemala. They’re not in our jail by coincidence. We didn’t just see them walking down the road and say, ‘You know what, I think you don’t belong here.’ They’re in our jail because they committed crimes.”

He said that over the last four years, his narcotics teams have seen a precipitous drop in the price of illegal drugs, arguing that’s because “the market’s flooded by the tons coming across the open borders in semis.” He said he’s seen a shift in the origin of methamphetamine, specifically, saying people are no longer making it themselves and are instead getting it from cartels.

He also pointed to the rise in fentanyl-related overdoses, saying his department sees about two overdose deaths per week.

“It’s getting in our schools, it’s getting in our children’s hands. It’s very disturbing. It’s killing our kids, it’s poisoning our communities. It’s making the jobs of law enforcement professionals much more difficult,” Abbott said. “The open southern border is the heart of lawlessness and crime you’re witnessing, make no bones about it. We need leadership at the national level that is willing to solve this crisis. President Trump, without a doubt, is the leader we need to get the job done and get America safe.”

Allegan County Sheriff Frank Baker also discussed meth and fentanyl and said securing the border was key to addressing the problem.

“A lot of times people ask me, ‘The border’s a long way from Allegan County.’ And yes it is, but there’s not a day goes but that it’s not impacting what happens in our county because of the drugs that we’re seeing,” Baker said.

He agreed that he sees many fewer meth labs in his county, calling them a “thing of the past” and saying that’s because crystal meth is so cheap.

“It’s cheaper to buy it than it is to make it,” he said.

Abbott and Baker are both up for election in the fall.

Trump touted his own administration’s crackdown down on immigration, citing his “remain in Mexico” policy, asylum bans, “rapid removal” policies and talking about travel bans that he argued limited the spread of contagious diseases.

“Joe Biden and his party came in and they blew it all up,” he said.

BATTLEGROUND MICHIGAN

Michigan will be an important battleground in the November election, which will again see Trump and Biden vying for the presidency. A recent poll put the two in a statistical dead heat in the state. Both are expected to visit repeatedly before the election — Trump promised he would be back, in fact.

“You win Michigan, you win the election,” he said.

He seemed confident he would be able to do it. He won Michigan in 2016, but lost it to Biden in 2020.

“We’re going to have more people voting, I think, than anybody can even imagine. If that happens, if we swamp ’em … they won’t be able to cheat,” Trump said, referencing his baseless claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him.

In an initial statement that lasted a little less than half an hour, he also criticized the Biden administration’s investment in electric vehicles, speculating those vehicles would be build overseas and that the effort would not support manufacturing jobs in Michigan. He added that market shows drivers don’t want to buy such vehicles.

He also blamed the Biden administration for poor trade policy, being “soft” on China and high inflation.

“The border policies are horrible. All of his polices are horrible,” Trump said of Biden.

“Our country is in trouble, we’re a nation in decline. We’re not going to let it happen. We’ve got to stop it. We’ve got to win on Nov. 5. And it’s all going to stop and it’s going to stop very quickly,” he added.

News 8 political reporter Rick Albin spoke to Trump following his speech. Watch that conversation below:

Before his news conference, Trump held a roundtable with law enforcement and lawmakers. Among those present were Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt of southwestern Michigan, Michigan House Minority Leader Matt Hall of Richland, U.S. Rep. John James of St. Clair Shores and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running for U.S. Senate and whom Trump has endorsed.

“Thank you, Mr. President, for being here. Thank you for emphasizing our law enforcement interests here in the state. I think what you’re going to find is these are dedicated professionals all across the state who have been on the front lines,” Rogers said.

Lawmaker pushes for end to sanctuary zones in Michigan

Rogers and James noted recent cases of solicitation of minors and drug busts, with James blaming Biden for disbanding a task force on crime and public safety that Trump put in place.

“It doesn’t make sense, what they’re doing,” Trump said.

TRUMP SUPPORTERS RALLY

Since the roundtable and news conference were closed to the public, the Kent County Republican Party held a “President Trump Roadside Rally,” asking supporters to line the streets near DeVos Place.

“(Trump has)s fought more for the American people than any president that I can remember. And when he had his four years in office, we were doing good,” attendee Tina Koomem told News 8. “And inflation is a lot higher than what they say.”

Standing in cold and drizzly weather,a couple hundred supporters carried American flags, Trump 2024 flags and signs and wore red “Make America Great Again” hats. They chanted, “Let’s go Brandon,” an anti-Biden chant.

The crowed cheered and clapped as Trump’s motorcade passed.

“USA! USA!” they chanted.

“We love you, Trump,” one person could be heard shouting.

Some chanted in support of Israel, while Trump opponents across the street chanted for Palestine.

Also Tuesday, Michigan Democrats characterized Trump as divisive and local immigration advocates held their own rally not far from the convention center where the former president’s event was held.

Pro-immigrant rally held during Trump’s visit to Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Winstrom said officers are well versed in handling events like this and he was confident it would be safe for everyone.

“To be blunt, it takes a lot of police officers,” Winstrom said. “We have gotten really good at these things. Vice President (Kamala) Harris was in town a couple of weeks ago. It went very smoothly. We anticipate this is going to go smoothly as well. One of the things is we have had a lot of practice.”

Harris discussed reproductive rights during her visit, which Democrats are using as their key platform issue.

—News 8’s Meghan Bunchman and Rick Albin contributed to this report.

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