Haitian advocacy group asks that ‘an entire community’ not be judged on one individual’s actions

Apr 11, 2026 By VALARIE HARRING 6 min read

As a man in the U.S. illegally remains in custody after police say he bludgeoned a Lee County woman to death with a hammer, a Haitian American advocacy organization is condemning the violence while also urging that “an entire community” of people not be condemned for the actions of one person.

“First and foremost, HACCSWFL unequivocally condemns all acts of violence and crime. We stand in support of justice for victims and accountability for those responsible, regardless of background, nationality, or immigration status,” the Haitian American Community Coalition of Southwest Florida said in a statement issued last night in the wake of comments posted by President Donald Trump to Truth Social. “However, we strongly oppose any attempt to generalize or stigmatize an entire community based on the alleged actions of an individual. In addition, we are concerned with what appears to be inconsistent public responses to violence involving Haitian individuals.”

Public statements made by influential leaders carry weight and language that targets or singles out a specific ethnic or immigrant group fuels division, encourages harmful stereotypes and creates fear and discrimination against innocent people, the statement signed by Beatrice Jacquet-Castor, the advocacy group’s president, states.

“We urge all leaders and public figures to engage in responsible, fact-based, and unifying discourse especially in moments of tragedy,” she said.

Rolbert Joachin, 40, is accused of striking the woman several times in the head after first smashing her car’s windshield the morning of April 2 outside the gas station in Fort Myers at which she worked. The woman, identified in an Associated Press report as Nilufa Easmın, a 51-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh with two adult daughters, was not breathing when first responders arrived. She was pronounced dead near the storefront entrance where she fell.

The assault was captured on the store’s security cameras and seen by at least three witnesses who were interviewed by Fort Myers Police Department officers.

According to the first witness, a man police since have identified as Joachin, struck a parked SUV with a mallet and then approached the woman and hit her in the head with the mallet, striking her three to four more times as she lay on the ground.

The two other witnesses reported the same details.

The first witness provided responding officers with a photo he took and the FMPD broadcast it in house with multiple officers recognizing the image and identifying the man pictured as Joachin, a probable cause affidavit states.

Joachin was spotted shortly thereafter and taken into custody where officials say he “provided a detailed confession of the murder.”

As per state statute, Joachin’s alleged statements to investigators have been redacted from the affidavit.

He has been charged with homicide (murder dangerous deprave without premeditation) and damage/criminal mischief, remains in custody at the Lee County Jail.

The video of the homicide was shared by Trump, who condemned both the attack and the former administration’s policies the president said laid the groundwork for such acts of violence by individuals who should not be in the country.

“History, Crooked Joe Biden, and the Radical Democrats in Congress, just beat an innocent woman to death with a hammer at a gas station in Florida. The video of her brutal slaying is one of the most vicious things you will ever see. This animal was allowed to stay here because the Biden Administration granted him, and all Haitians, ‘Temporary Protective Status,’ a massively abused and fraudulent program which my Administration is working to terminate, but Deranged Liberal District Court Judges are standing in our way. 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. To my fellow Republicans, and frankly all Common Sense Americans, NEVER FORGET that Joe Biden and the Democrat Party turned the United States of America into a dumping ground, allowing Tens of MILLIONS of Criminals, Lunatics, and the Mentally Insane from all over the World to pour into our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked through our wide Open Borders. As I’ve said all along, if you import the Third World, you become the Third World, and that is what happened over the four years of Democrat Control. We are rapidly trying to reverse this decline through Deportations, but if the Democrats are ever given another chance at power, they will immediately REOPEN the Border, and allow America to once again be a Safe Haven for Criminals. Please say a prayer for this innocent woman’s family. We will ensure quick and severe JUSTICE is served in this case! I don’t recommend you watch this tape, because it is so terrible, but felt I had an obligation to put it up so that people can see what Democrats are protecting, and wanting to come into our Country, even now, after all we’ve been through. Again, viewer discretion advised — Not for children! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” the entire post states.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which assisted the FMPD in its efforts to track down and arrest Joachin, has lodged a detainer against him and has said Joachin will be deported regardless of the outcome of the criminal case.

According to the United States Department of Homeland Security, Joachin entered the U.S. in August 2022 and a federal judge issued a final order of removal against him the same year. The agency said the Biden administration granted him Temporary Protected Status which expired in 2024.

“This illegal alien barbarically hit this woman in the head multiple times with a hammer,” said acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis in a statement following the arrest. “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. 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.”

To reach VALARIE HARRING, please email vharring@breezenewspapers.com