The controversy began after Fort Myers police said they responded to a report of a woman being hit with a hammer at a Chevron gas station, where officers found a woman with blood around her head and multiple cuts. Authorities later located Rolbert Joachin, 40, and arrested him the same day. He was charged with murder and property damage, and an arraignment was set for May 4, according to the Associated Press.
Trump then used the case in a political message. The Associated Press reported that the president posted late Thursday on Truth Social a video of the attack, which he said in the post showed what he called a “brutal slaying.” In the video, which was captured on security camera footage posted publicly, the suspect repeatedly struck a vehicle and then moved toward a woman who came out of the store.
In the post, Trump said: “The video of her brutal slaying is one of the most vicious things you will ever see,” and he described the suspect as an “animal.” The Associated Press reported that Trump often portrays immigrants as bringing crime to the United States and that he has tied those messages to his immigration agenda.
The Associated Press identified the victim as Nilufa Easmin, 51, and said court documents described her as a clerk at the convenience store at the gas station. The Associated Press also reported that a GoFundMe created by Samir Bahadur Syed, the President of the Bangladesh Association of Southwest Florida, described Easmin as a devoted mother who worked for her two daughters. Syed told the Associated Press that Easmin arrived in the United States about three decades ago and lived in Miami and Palm Beach before moving to Florida’s west coast, and that she had worked at the convenience store for nearly five months.
The security footage described by the Associated Press showed Easmin falling after Joachin swung a hammer at her head, and then multiple additional strikes before Joachin stepped over her and walked away out of frame. The Associated Press said the police report spelled out the victim’s name as Nilufa Easmin and that Joachin appeared in court on Wednesday. The Associated Press also reported that an email sent to the public defender listed in court records as Joachin’s lawyer seeking comment was not returned.
Haitian immigrant advocates criticized Trump’s framing. The Associated Press reported that Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said in a statement that “one individual’s actions do not define an entire people,” and that exploiting the tragedy to “demonize Haitian immigrants and dismantle humanitarian protections” is “both unjust and deeply harmful.”
Trump’s post also tied into a broader fight over temporary deportation protections. The Associated Press reported that ICE acting field office director for Miami enforcement, Kelei Walker, said during a news conference Friday that Joachin arrived near Key West in August 2022 on a “water vessel,” was arrested and given Temporary Protective Status in 2023, and that the status was revoked this week. Walker said, “We’ll make sure he never gets to the streets of the United States and gets back to his home country.”
The Associated Press said the Trump administration has harshly criticized the use of Temporary Protected Status, which can be granted when a country is in turmoil or strife. It reported that lawsuits are challenging Trump’s efforts to terminate TPS for more than one million people, including 350,000 Haitians. The Associated Press also reported that in March, a federal appeals court ruled against ending temporary status for Haitians, and that the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on April 29.
The Associated Press further reported that the administration has highlighted crimes committed by immigrants and created a website for people to look up arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the crimes involved. It said that ICE held an event marking the one-year anniversary of reopening an office dedicated to assisting “Angel Families,” including emotional testimony from some surviving family members.