MIAMI — President Donald Trump recently shared a video depicting a violent incident allegedly involving a Haitian immigrant who is accused of fatally attacking a woman at a Florida gas station. The president framed the incident as justification for his administration’s mass deportation agenda.
Rolbert Joachin, 40, was arrested and charged with the murder of a woman on April 2 in Fort Myers, roughly 260 miles northwest of Miami. Joachin, originally from Haiti, entered the United States in 2022, according to authorities. The victim has been identified as 51-year-old Nilufa Easmin, a Bangladeshi immigrant and mother of two.
In his post on Truth Social late Thursday, Trump has leveraged the Florida attack as part of his ongoing narrative that immigrants contribute to crime in the U.S. He frequently criticizes Democrats, particularly President Joe Biden, by suggesting that they enable the admission of immigrants who may pose threats to public safety and national security.
The video’s graphic nature has provoked backlash, with critics arguing that Trump unfairly generalizes immigrants as criminals to justify stricter immigration policies. Research indicates that individuals in the U.S. illegally are statistically less likely to commit violent or property crimes compared to native-born Americans.
Gealine Joseph, the executive director of the Haiti Bridge Alliance, which advocates for Haitian migrants, expressed condolences to the victims’ families. She condemned the act of violence while emphasizing that the actions of one individual do not reflect an entire community. “Using this tragedy to demonize Haitian immigrants and dismantle humanitarian protections is unjust and deeply harmful,” she stated.
Details of the Incident Emerge
According to court documents, the victim was a clerk at the gas station where the attack occurred. Surveillance footage shows Joachin repeatedly striking a black car with a hammer before confronting Easmin, who then steps outside the store. He suddenly struck her in the head with the hammer, leading to her collapse on the sidewalk.
Later identified in police reports, Easmin was remembered by community members as a dedicated mother who worked tirelessly to support her two daughters, aged 23 and 26, both U.S. citizens born to her during her nearly 30 years in the country. Samir Bahadur Saeed, president of the Southwest Florida Bangladesh Association, noted that she had recently been employed at the convenience store for nearly five months.
Upon receiving a call about the incident, Fort Myers police arrived at the Chevron gas station to find Easmin on the ground suffering from severe injuries. Officers arrested Joachin walking nearby, and he has since admitted to the charges. He has been charged with murder and aggravated assault and will appear in court again on May 4.
Trump Administration’s Stance on Temporary Protected Status
President Trump has taken aim at the Biden administration’s handling of immigration, particularly criticizing the temporary protective status granted to Joachin. Kelley Walker, acting field office director for ICE’s enforcement and removal operations in Miami, stated that Joachin entered the U.S. via boat near Key West in August 2022 and was later granted temporary protected status in 2023, a certification that was revoked following the incident.
The Trump administration has been vocal in its critique of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which allows nationals from conflict-ridden countries to stay and work in the U.S. Critics within the administration claim that the Biden administration has misused TPS, resulting in the prolonged residency of hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
Several lawsuits against the Trump administration’s efforts to terminate TPS for over a million people, including approximately 350,000 Haitians, are currently winding through federal courts. A recent ruling by the federal appeals court upheld a lower judge’s decision against the termination of TPS for Haitians, with the U.S. Supreme Court expected to hear arguments on the matter soon.
As part of its broader messaging, the Department of Homeland Security has emphasized crimes committed by immigrants, creating a platform for individuals to search for arrestees and their offenses. This has been part of a larger narrative that highlights “angel families” who have lost loved ones to crimes involving immigrants.
ICE recently marked the one-year anniversary of its family assistance program, featuring testimonials from individuals who have faced loss, underscoring the administration’s ongoing focus on these narratives.
