Grand Rapids man charged with killing girlfriend was deported in 2020, feds say

A man who is charged with killing his 25-year-old girlfriend and dumping her body on the side of the road near downtown Grand Rapids returned to the United States illegally after having been deported to Mexico in 2020, federal officials said.

Brandon Ortiz-Vite, 25, was arrested Sunday in Allegan County in connection with the fatal shooting of Ruby Garcia, 25. Her body was found at about 11:35 p.m. Friday on the shoulder of southbound US-131, according to Michigan State Police, who said the victim and the alleged killer were "in a romantic relationship at the time of the crime."

Ortiz-Vite was arraigned Tuesday in Kent County on charges including felony murder, open murder and carjacking. No bond was set.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker and state police officials said at a Tuesday press conference the killing was a case of domestic violence, although they didn't elaborate.

According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ortiz-Vite is in the United States illegally for a second time.

"Brandon Ortiz-Vite, a 25-year-old citizen of Mexico, was arrested by Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Detroit on Aug. 31, 2020, and served a notice to appear," an ICE statement said. "He was ordered removed by an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) Sept. 24, 2020, and was removed to Mexico Sept. 29, 2020.

"At an unknown date and location Ortiz-Vite reentered the United States without inspection by an immigration official," the statement said. "On Mar. 24, 2024, ERO Detroit encountered Ortiz-Vite pursuant to him being arrested by the Michigan State Police and charged with murder and other crimes."

Ortiz-Vite is being held in the Kent County Jail in Grand Rapids, the ICE statement said.

ICE officials have lodged a detainer to take custody of the suspect, the statement said.

According to ICE website, “the detainer asks the other law enforcement agency to notify ICE before a removable individual is released from custody and to maintain custody of the non-citizen for a brief period of time so that ICE can take custody of that person in a safe and secure setting upon release from that agency’s custody.”

A phone message left with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office was not immediately returned Wednesday.

If the law enforcement agency releases the inmate, ICE will decide whether to deport him, according to the agency's website.

"Like all law enforcement agencies, ICE considers all evidence at its disposal to determine if probable cause for removal exists, including various databases and electronic data," the website says. "Probable cause is the same legal standard that other law enforcement agencies must meet to make an arrest.

"It is important to note that not everyone interviewed by ICE is detained or removed (deported)," according to ICE's website. "Everyone receives due process, and ICE focuses its resources on removing criminals and public safety threats."

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