This is his side, in his own words from the handwritten suit. Ortiz-Vite says he was put into a category, and who he was as a person no longer mattered — what only mattered was his race, his case, and his immigration status. He says it belittled him, shattered his dignity, and brought shame to his family name. The handwritten complaint, filed in federal court, names Trump and White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Steven Cheung as defendants. Ortiz-Vite is representing himself. He is asking a federal judge for counseling, about $75.5 million, an apology, and "naturalization to this beautiful country."
The crime he was sentenced for happened in March 2024 in Grand Rapids. He and Garcia, 25, were arguing in her car. He shot her, including in the head, pulled her body out, and left her on the side of US-131. He turned himself in, confessed, and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He had DACA until 2019, was deported in 2020, and came back illegally. Trump used the case at a Grand Rapids rally and called him "America's problem." At his 2024 sentencing, the judge called the killing cold-blooded and intentional, telling Ortiz-Vite he was a danger to society who needed to be removed from it.
Legal experts say the lawsuit faces steep hurdles and is unlikely to survive the court's initial screening. Ruby Garcia is still dead. He is still the man who killed her.