A Haitian migrant has been accused of a fatal beating at a Florida petrol station - a violent attack US President Donald Trump seized on to argue for stricter immigration policies.
Rolbert Joachin is charged with homicide after he allegedly struck a woman repeatedly with a hammer and killed her on 3 April, US officials said on Friday.
Trump shared a graphic video of the incident and reiterated his calls to end deportation protections for Haitian migrants.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to eliminate deportation protections for more than 350,000 Haitian immigrants, who are allowed to live and work in the US with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), in February.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the video of the slaying was one of the most vicious things you will ever see. He stated that this one killing should be enough for judges to stop impeding my Administration's Immigration Policies.
The video, which was also shared online by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), shows a man striking a woman in the head with an object before she falls backwards onto the pavement. He then hits her six more times on the head and torso before walking away.
It's senseless. It's a video you can never unwatch, remarked Micah McCombs, special agent in charge with Homeland Security Investigations, during a news conference on Friday.
Local police sought assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to locate Joachin in Fort Myers, who was arrested shortly after.
Joachin first entered the US in August 2022, according to the DHS. A federal judge issued a final order of removal against him in 2022, but the Biden administration granted him Temporary Protected Status, which is set to expire in 2024.
Temporary Protected Status prevents US officials from deporting immigrants to countries deemed unsafe due to crises or conflicts.
The administration has argued that TPS encourages illegal immigration and has been over-used by Democrats.
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case about TPS for Haitians, with oral arguments scheduled for later this month.
Haitians were designated as eligible for TPS after the Caribbean nation suffered a devastating earthquake in 2010, and their eligibility status has been extended multiple times, most recently under the Biden administration.
The Trump administration claims that TPS for Haitians has morphed into a permanent residency program, contradicting Congress's original intent for temporary refuge.
The administration continues to push to dismantle TPS programs from various countries, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of migrants from nations such as Afghanistan, Syria, and Venezuela.
According to the DHS, Joachin will be deported regardless of the outcome of his case.
