What we know: Trump uses death of Michigan woman to stoke fears over immigration

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — During campaign events in Michigan and Wisconsin on Tuesday, Donald Trump used the recent death of a Grand Rapids woman killed by a man that immigration officials say entered the country illegally to amplify his inflammatory rhetoric on the campaign trail accusing President Joe Biden of causing a “bloodbath” at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The woman, 25-year-old Ruby Garcia, was found dead on the side of a Grand Rapids highway on March 22. Police say she was in a romantic relationship with the suspect, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, who is a citizen of Mexico.

Immigration has emerged as the focal point of Trump’s reelection campaign. He frequently highlights incidents involving immigrants to fuel concerns about Biden’s border policies and on Tuesday attempted to tie Garcia’s death to that of Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student who officials say was killed by a man who entered the U.S. illegally.

While authorities believe Riley’s death was random, Garcia’s case is different.

Here’s what we know and where Trump’s claims strayed from the truth.

The death of Ruby Garcia

Trump’s campaign has said that Garcia was killed by an illegal immigrant “in a drunken carjacking attempt.” This conveys a sense of randomness that isn’t supported by facts.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Pepe Aguilar is putting Mexican culture at the front and center with ‘Jaripeo: Hasta Los Huesos’ </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Trump accuses Biden of