Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, who was murdered in Maryland, has publicly criticized Senator Chris Van Hollen for his trip to El Salvador. This criticism arises after Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was convicted of Rachel Morin's rape and murder. At a White House press briefing, where she was introduced as a “special guest,” Patty Morin voiced her bewilderment, stating, “I just don’t understand this.” She also accused Van Hollen of “barely acknowledging” her daughter's death while allegedly using taxpayer money for his trip to El Salvador.

During an emotional moment at the White House, former US President Donald Trump embraced Patty Morin, offering his condolences. Trump acknowledged her suffering, stating, “She’s been through hell,” as he held her in the Oval Office. Rachel Morin, a mother of five from Maryland, was raped and murdered while hiking, and her killer, Victor Martinez-Hernandez, was a fugitive from El Salvador. Trump invited Morin to the White House as part of his advocacy for strict deportation policies. He comforted her during the meeting, saying, “Your daughter is looking down proud of you, you know that… she’s proud of you.”

This appearance occurred shortly after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen for traveling to El Salvador to visit Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. Garcia, a Maryland resident and father of three, was deported in March, a move Van Hollen claims was a mistake. The Trump administration, however, maintained that Garcia had ties to a violent gang. Leavitt told reporters that Van Hollen was potentially using taxpayer dollars to demand the release of a deported illegal alien and MS-13 terrorist, calling the trip “appalling and sad.”

Leavitt then introduced Patty Morin as a “special guest” to voice her concerns. Morin criticized Van Hollen for his minimal acknowledgment of her daughter's death. “The senator from Maryland who didn’t even acknowledge — or barely acknowledged — my daughter and the brutal death that she endured, leaving her five children without a mother, chose to use my tax money to fly to El Salvador to bring back a person who isn’t even an American citizen,” she stated.

Morin further emphasized that President Trump aims to remove criminals from the country, asserting that it is their duty as American citizens to do the same. “These are the kind of criminals President Trump wants to remove from our country. These are the kind of criminals that we need to remove from our country. We are American citizens. Why should we allow people like this, violent criminals that have no conscience at all to murder our mothers, our sisters, our daughters? I don’t understand,