Illegal immigrant murderer sues Trump, seeks $75 million, apology and U.S. citizenship

BS BRIEF:

Brandon Ortiz-Vite, a man serving a prison sentence for the 2024 killing of Ruby Garcia in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has filed a handwritten federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump and White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Steven Cheung.
Ortiz-Vite is seeking $75 million in damages, a public apology and U.S. citizenship, claiming Trump’s campaign references to his case caused humiliation and emotional distress.
Legal experts say the lawsuit faces significant legal hurdles and is unlikely to survive the court’s initial screening process.

CONVICTED MICHIGAN KILLER SUES TRUMP, SEEKS $75 MILLION, APOLOGY AND U.S. CITIZENSHIP

A Michigan prison inmate serving decades behind bars for the 2024 killing of Ruby Garcia has filed an unusual federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump, alleging the president used his case for political purposes during the 2024 campaign and caused him lasting emotional harm.

Brandon Ortiz-Vite, 27, filed the handwritten complaint naming Trump and White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Steven Cheung as defendants. According to the filing, Ortiz-Vite is requesting $75 million in damages, a public apology, and naturalization as a U.S. citizen.

Ortiz-Vite is currently serving a sentence of 39 to 102 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Ruby Garcia, whose body was discovered alongside a road in Grand Rapids in March 2024. Authorities said Garcia suffered multiple gunshot wounds following an argument with Ortiz-Vite, who later confessed to the killing.

The case became nationally known during the 2024 presidential campaign after Trump highlighted Garcia’s death while discussing immigration policy during a campaign stop in Grand Rapids. Trump also referenced the case in campaign advertisements focused on border security and violent crime.

In his complaint, Ortiz-Vite argues that those public references transformed him into a national symbol.

“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.”

He also wrote:

“I took full responsibility for my actions but for them to use my case for political gain on TV was unjust. Humiliating.”

Elsewhere in the filing, Ortiz-Vite claimed the publicity led to ridicule from fellow inmates and prison staff and said the media attention made him “publicly infamous.”

The complaint does not identify a specific constitutional or statutory violation. Instead, Ortiz-Vite argues that Trump’s repeated references to his case damaged his reputation and caused emotional distress. He also requests that the federal government grant him U.S. citizenship despite his criminal conviction and prior deportation.

According to previous reporting, Ortiz-Vite entered the United States illegally, later received protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program before that status expired in 2019, and was deported after a 2020 drunken-driving arrest. Authorities say he later re-entered the country illegally before Garcia’s murder.

Legal analysts interviewed after the lawsuit was filed expressed skepticism that it will move forward.

Former federal prosecutor Matthew Borgula told Fox News Digital that federal courts are required to review prisoner lawsuits before defendants are even served.

“Federal law requires courts to screen prisoner suits before anyone is served. This complaint will likely not survive that screening.”

Borgula added that Trump’s public statements were “substantially true” and said “being publicly embarrassed by a politician isn’t a constitutional violation.” He concluded, “This case should end before it begins.”

The White House had not publicly responded to the lawsuit as of Wednesday. Court records do not indicate that any hearing has been scheduled.

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