Maryland Dems mourn mom allegedly murdered by illegal immigrant but back Biden's border order

Both Democratic senators from Maryland have lamented the "broken" border situation in the wake of allegations that an illegal immigrant is responsible for the killing of a mother of five from the state, but have continued to celebrate President Biden's border policies.

"My heart breaks for the Morin family," Sen. Chris Van Hollen told the Baltimore Sun after the arrest of 23-year-old illegal El Salvadorian migrant Victor Martinez Hernandez in connection to the murder of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five. "The Morin family deserves more than words – they deserve action. There’s no doubt our immigration system is broken. That’s why I voted last month to move onto bipartisan legislation that would allow us to begin addressing our border security and comprehensive immigration reforms, but Republicans slammed the door shut."

Van Hollen's comments were echoed by Maryland's senior senator, Ben Cardin, who told the Baltimore Sun that the U.S. immigration system is "broken" and that "Congress needs to act." Like Van Hollen, Cardin also took aim at Republicans, whom he argued blocked legislation "to make reforms and inject resources into a system bursting at the seams."

While both Maryland lawmakers were quick to point the finger across the aisle in the wake of the news, both took a different approach to President Biden's policies. Under fire for his handling of the situation at the border in recent months, the president has announced multiple executive actions aimed at reforming America's immigration system.

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The most recent action, which was announced Tuesday and offers a pathway to legal status for some half a million undocumented spouses and family members of U.S. citizens, has been panned by critics who argue it will further incentivize illegal crossings.

"The president may think our homeland security is some kind of game that he can try to use for political points, but Americans know this amnesty plan will only incentivize more illegal immigration and endanger Americans," Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said after Biden's announcement.

But Van Hollen and Cardin struck a more celebratory tone after the announcement, taking to social media to praise Biden's most recent action.

"Families shouldn’t be torn apart because of our broken immigration system," Van Hollen said on X. "I applaud @POTUS for taking this significant step to provide relief for so many immigrant families. We must keep working to pass comprehensive immigration reform to fix this broken system once & for all."

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"This is about keeping families together and ending cruel practices that have longtime residents living in constant fear of deportation," Cardin said on X. "As a nation that has built its identity on welcoming immigrants, this is the right move."

Martinez Hernandez was arrested at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, bar last week after DNA evidence and a tip led police to the suspect, who is accused of brutally killing and raping Morin near a popular Maryland hiking trail last year.

The arrest of Martinez Hernandez, who is wanted for an allegedly similar crime in his native El Salvador, has sparked calls for better border security from other Maryland officials.

"He tried to come in legally and he was turned away. And yeah, that didn't deter him because we have such a porous border and he came right through… and this is the result," Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, who helped lead the investigation into Morin's murder, told Fox News Tuesday. 

"It's just insane that we would allow things like Rachel's murder to happen, and when I say ‘allow it,’ we allowed it by letting him into this country unchallenged," Gahler added. "That shouldn't happen to families in our country. This is preventable."

Van Hollen's office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Cardin's office also did not immediately respond, citing closure for the Juneteenth holiday when reached by Fox News Digital. 

Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.