A Haitian illegal immigrant who was caught and released by the Biden administration in 2022 was arrested after allegedly bludgeoning a mother to death with a hammer on Friday outside a gas station in Fort Myers, Florida, in broad daylight.
Rolbert Joachim, 40, is charged with second-degree murder and criminal damage to property, according to Lee County Sheriff’s Office jail records.
Surveillance footage appeared to show Joachim smashing the woman’s car windshield, approaching her, and repeatedly hitting her in the head with a hammer — killing her in broad daylight, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The woman, whose identity has not yet been publicly released, was reportedly a store clerk inside the gas station.
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She was also the mother of two teenage daughters, according to a report from local outlet Gulf Coast News.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) assisted the Fort Myers Police Department in tracking down and arresting Joachim on Mango Street in Fort Myers.
Joachim first entered the U.S. in August 2022 and was released into the country under the Biden administration, according to DHS.
A federal judge issued a final order of removal against him later that year, but he was granted Temporary Protected Status — which expired in 2024.
“This illegal alien barbarically hit this woman in the head multiple times with a hammer,” DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis wrote in a statement. “This heinous murderer was RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration. Not only did the Biden administration release him into the country, but they then gave him temporary protected status. Their reckless immigration policies cost this woman her life.”
ICE has lodged a detainer against Joachim, and he will be deported regardless of the outcome of the case.
“The arrest of this criminal is an example of how ICE and local authorities can work together to swiftly bring criminals to justice and make our communities safer,” Bis said.
