What started as a dream for Mexican Brandon Ortiz-Vite ended in a nightmare for the Grand Rapids family of Ruby Garcia.

New information from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement reveals Ortiz-Vite entered the United States illegally as a child, and was later approved for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program created by the Obama administration, WZZM reports.

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He now faces multiple potential life sentences in Garcia’s murder last month.

Those approved for the DACA program, known as dreamers, are shielded from deportation for two years and allowed to secure work permits in exchange for good behavior. The program, which was repeatedly rejected by lawmakers, was expanded by former President Barack Obama in 2014. The expansion was then rescinded by former President Trump, before President Biden reinstated the expansion by executive order in 2021.

A federal judge in September ruled DACA violates federal law, though the program remains in place pending an appeal.

Ortiz-Vite’s DACA status expired on May 10, 2019, following several crimes including driving without a license and burglary that ultimately resulted in his deportation to Mexico by the Trump administration on Sept. 29, 2020, according to ICE.

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Ortiz-Vite returned sometime in the years since, and is currently lodged in Kent County Jail with a detainer request from ICE.

State Police investigators allege Ortiz-Vite confessed to shooting Garcia multiple times with an illegally purchased handgun before unbuckling her seatbelt and dumping her body along US 131 near downtown Grand Rapids on March 22. He was arrested two days later.

On Tuesday, Trump addressed the gruesome crime during a stop in Grand Rapids aimed at highlighting how Biden’s border policies are impacting West Michigan. The trip comes just days after Garcia’s family gathered on Friday to lay the 25-year-old to rest and celebrate her life.

“Ruby’s love for plants and traveling came nothing close to her affectionate smile that illuminated the room or contagious laughter that recreated the atmosphere,” her obituary read. “She cared so deeply for the people around her – so kind and passionate. She’s made an impact on many lives She will be forever missed.”

While Trump points to the tragic consequences of the Biden administration’s failure to secure the border, Michigan Democrats have attempted to downplay Garcia’s murder as one “domestic violence homicide” among several in the region.

Michigan Congresswoman Elisa Slotkin did not mention Ortiz-Vite’s immigration status during a Friday appearance on CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, opting instead to fixate on a dissolved border deal crafted by a handful of senators and the White House many conservatives have criticized for not going far enough to stop the southern border invasion.

“It’s a terrible, horrible, gruesome death on top of a number of domestic violence incidents we’re having in that area,” she said, alleging Trump derailed the Senate border deal.

Michigan Republicans have also highlighted how their Democratic colleagues in the legislature are blocking legislation to outlaw sanctuary jurisdictions that attract illegal immigrant criminals, and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to pay Michiganders $500 per month to house “newcomers” in the country illegally.

“The Newcomer Rental Subsidy program provides Refugees and other Newcomer population-eligible households with rental assistance up to $500 per month for up to 12 months, with eligibility based on immigration status and household income,” according to Whitmer’s Office of Global Michigan website.

“Many refugees and other newcomers face critical housing challenges, and this program will increase access to better and more affordable housing opportunities while supporting a more rapid social integration to refugees and other newcomer populations to Michigan.”

Unlike Trump, Whitmer has yet to acknowledge the Garcia’s murder or say her name, preferring instead to focus her attention on abortion, Women’s History Month, promoting Oberon beer, and the Trans Day of Visibility, formally known as Easter.