A Haitian national with temporary protected status killed a mother of two outside a Florida convenience store in a brutal hammer attack that has intensified scrutiny of federal immigration programs and their eligibility requirements. The April 2 killing of Nilufa Easmin, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Bangladesh, has become a focal point in the ongoing legal battle over the administration's efforts to terminate TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians, a move blocked by a judge in February.
Rolbert Joachin, 40, was charged with murder after officials said he repeatedly struck Easmin with a hammer in what they described as a targeted attack. Police said the victim did not know Joachin, though they had a previous encounter. Video circulating online and shared by the Department of Homeland Security showed a man repeatedly hitting a car parked in the gas station's parking lot with an object that appeared to be a hammer. When a woman exited the store and approached him, he walked toward her and struck her with the object in his hand. The woman fell onto the sidewalk before he struck her another six times on her head and torso and walked away.
The Suspect's Immigration History
Joachim entered the U.S. in 2022 and had temporary protected status until the Trump administration revoked his protections last week, according to Kelei Walker, the acting Miami field officer director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. Joachin was previously arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in what ICE described Friday as a "maritime smuggling event" and was issued a final order of removal in 2022 before "the prior administration allowed him to be released into the United States, and subsequently granted him temporary protected status, giving him a legal safeguard to remain in our country," Walker said.
Temporary protected status allows people to live and work in the U.S. if they are from certain countries designated by DHS where conditions prevent nationals from returning safely, including ongoing armed conflict or environmental disaster. Recipients are not eligible if they have been convicted of any felony or more than one misdemeanor in the U.S.
Police received calls around 7:19 a.m. ET on April 2, and when they arrived they found the woman unresponsive and not breathing, according to court documents. Witnesses told police they had seen a man hitting a car and then striking a woman "with a mallet," according to the arrest report. Authorities identified Joachin and arrested him later that day after "an extensive coordinated manhunt," Fort Myers Police Chief Jason Fields said Friday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents assisted Fort Myers police in tracking down and arresting Joachin, DHS said in a statement Tuesday.
The Victim
Police withheld the woman's name under Marsy's Law, but the president of the Bangladesh Association of Southwest Florida identified her as Nilufa Easmin, a mother of two daughters and member of the group. Samir Bahadur Syed wrote in a GoFundMe he organized for Easmin's daughters that "Easmin was a devoted mother who worked tirelessly to provide for her two young daughters. Tragically, her life was cut short while she was at work in Fort Myers, FL, leaving her family and friends heartbroken. The loss of Easmin has created an unimaginable void in the lives of her daughters."
Easmin was working as a store clerk at the gas station at the time of the attack, according to court documents. Micah McCombs, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa, said Friday that Easmin "got her citizenship the right way" after coming to the U.S. from Bangladesh, calling the killing "senseless."
Joachim was charged with murder, criminal mischief and damage to property over $1,000, a third-degree felony, according to court documents. He is being held without bond after a hearing in Lee County court Wednesday and is scheduled to be arraigned on May 4.
Policy and Political Response
Trump posted graphic video of the attack Thursday night and wrote, "The Biden Administration granted him, and all Haitians, 'Temporary Protective Status,' a massively abused and fraudulent program which my Administration is working to terminate," and, "This one killing should be enough for these Radical Judges to STOP impeding my Administration's Immigration Policies, and allow us to END THIS SCAM ONCE AND FOR ALL."
Haitian immigrants became eligible for TPS after a massive, destructive earthquake in 2010. The administration sought to terminate temporary protected status for more than 350,000 Haitians before a judge blocked that move in February, citing, among other points, the president's repeated derogatory comments about Haitians. Trump has since asked the Supreme Court to weigh in.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned Trump's decision to weaponize the tragedy to undermine TPS protections. Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said, "Our hearts are with the family of the victim during this unimaginably painful time. We condemn this act of violence in the strongest possible terms. But we must also be clear: one individual's actions do not define an entire people," and, "The exploitation of this tragedy to demonize Haitian immigrants and dismantle humanitarian protections is both unjust and deeply harmful. Haitian TPS holders and immigrant families in the United States are workers, caregivers, students, and neighbors. They deserve dignity, protection, and policies grounded in truth—not fear."
Why This Matters:
The case highlights fundamental questions about immigration program oversight and vetting procedures. Joachin received TPS despite a prior removal order and involvement in what ICE described as a maritime smuggling event, raising concerns about whether existing eligibility standards are adequately enforced. The victim, who obtained citizenship through legal channels, was killed by someone the previous administration granted protected status after ordering his removal. With more than 350,000 Haitians holding TPS, the administration's effort to terminate the program—currently blocked by federal courts—centers on whether humanitarian protections designed for temporary crises have become permanent immigration pathways without sufficient security screening. The legal battle will determine whether executive authority over immigration policy or judicial oversight of that authority prevails in managing programs affecting hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals living in the United States.