In a breathtaking act of chutzpah, Mexican national Brandon Ortiz-Vite, 27, an illegal alien who is currently serving a 39- to 102-year prison sentence for murdering Grand Rapids, Michigan, woman Ruby Garcia in March 2024, is suing President Donald Trump for using his case as a political talking point. Fox News reports he is “demanding $75 million, a public apology, and U.S. citizenship.”
According to Fox, Ortiz-Vite, who was romantically involved with Garcia, shot her multiple times during an argument, and “dumped” her body on the side of a Michigan highway.
Ortiz-Vite’s case garnered national attention and was highlighted when Trump, who made combating illegal immigration a large part of his campaign, visited Grand Rapids in 2024. During his remarks, Trump labeled Ortiz-Vite as “America’s problem.”He also featured Ortiz-Vite’s mugshot in commercials as an example of the “murderers, rapists , and drug traffickers” who resided illegally in the United States, The Midwesterner reported.He was mocked by prison staff and other inmates, he said.Ortiz-Vite, who acted as his own attorney, said his case came under intense media coverage, resulting in him living in a “nightmare”.
Below is courtroom video from his sentencing hearing.
In a handwritten complaint filed in U.S. District Court last week, Ortiz-Vite named Trump and White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Steven Cheung as defendants. [Complaint via The Midwesterner.]
He wrote, “I was put into a category. Who I was as a person no longer mattered! What only mattered was my race. My case and immigration status!”
Actually, what matters is that Ortiz-Vite entered the country illegally, was deported, returned, and then murdered a U.S. citizen.
Yet, in the words that follow, he plays the victim. He claims he was cruelly singled out by President Trump for political gain and “labeled a cold blooded murderer in the eyes of the people of this nation.”
Imagine calling a cold-blooded murderer a cold-blooded murderer.
Nevertheless, he continued:
Once again, it belittled me, shattered my dignity and what I was as a person.The shame it brought to my family name is a reality I have to live with now. I took full responsibility for my actions but for them to use my case for political gain on TV was unjust. Humiliating. When I thought it couldn’t get worse, it did. I was center stage in front of a nation, public scrutiny at its finest!It all became clear to me when I first met with my court appointed attorneys. They explained how my case had gotten blown out of (proportion) and was now a high profile case! The shock in their eyes and the tears from mine was reaction to my realization that I was living everyone’s worst nightmare! To be publicly infamous. A target! To the United States of America from here everything went downhill. I was now labeled a cold blooded murderer in the eyes of the people of this nation.The anxiety and despair I felt compares to no other.
It’s safe to say Ruby Garcia’s family knows a little something about anxiety and despair, too.
WZZM-13 reported that Ortiz-Vite apologized to Garcia’s family and to “all immigrants from all walks of life” for his actions at his November 2024 sentencing hearing.
Kent County Circuit Court Judge Mark Trusock showed little sympathy, describing Ortiz-Vite as a “cold-blooded murderer.” He said:
This, sir, was a cold-blooded, intentional killing. This young lady was shot several times, and then you put the gun right to her head and pulled the trigger. There is just no reason for this, no justification, no excuse whatsoever. You, sir, are a cold-blooded murderer. This is an intentional crime, and you are a danger to society. You are a very violent individual, and you need to be removed from society.
Unsurprisingly, criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Matthew Borgula told Fox News that Ortiz-Vite’s lawsuit is “unlikely to succeed.”
“Federal law requires courts to screen prisoner suits before anyone is served. This complaint will likely not survive that screening,” Borgula said. “Also, Presidential immunity covers official acts, and campaign statements can fall outside it — but this suit fails for more basic reasons.”
He added that Trump’s remarks were “substantially true, and being publicly embarrassed by a politician isn’t a constitutional violation. This case should end before it begins.”
In comments to local media outlet MLive, Borgula said, “While the plaintiff may feel aggrieved, I don’t see that a federal court can offer a remedy. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Once you’ve done that, I don’t see a legal avenue for collecting damages on a theory that your conviction was unfair.”
Whether Ortiz-Vite feels humiliated by Trump’s campaign rhetoric is ultimately beside the point. As Borgula noted, truth is a defense, and publicly discussing a case that resulted in a guilty plea to second-degree murder is not a constitutional violation.
Nice try, though.
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