An illegal alien serving decades in prison for the 2024 murder of a Michigan woman has filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump, claiming he exploited his case for political purposes during the presidential campaign and demanding $75 million, a public apology, and U.S. citizenship, the New York Post reported on Tuesday.

Brandon Ortiz-Vite, 27, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of Ruby Garcia, filed the handwritten complaint in federal court naming Trump and White House principal deputy press secretary Steven Cheung as defendants.

Ortiz-Vite is serving a prison sentence of 39 to 102 years for the fatal shooting of Garcia, whose body was found along a roadside in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in March 2024. Authorities said the couple had been in a romantic relationship and were arguing before the killing.

The lawsuit alleges Trump's repeated references to the case during the 2024 presidential campaign subjected Ortiz-Vite to humiliation and public ridicule.

Trump highlighted the case during a campaign stop in Grand Rapids, calling Ortiz-Vite "America's problem," and later used his mug shot in campaign advertisements criticizing the Biden administration's immigration policies.

In his complaint, Ortiz-Vite claims the publicity caused him to be mocked by prison staff and fellow inmates.

"I was put into a category. Who I was as a person no longer mattered! What only mattered was my race," Ortiz-Vite wrote.

"My case and immigration status! Once again, it belittled me, shattered my dignity and what I was as a person," he added.

Ortiz-Vite said he accepted responsibility for Garcia's death but argued his case should not have been used as a political example.

"I took full responsibility for my actions but for them to use my case for political gain on TV was unjust. Humiliating," he wrote. "I was center stage in front of a nation."

The inmate also described learning from his court-appointed attorneys that his prosecution had become well known because of the national attention it received.

"It all became clear to me when I first met with my court-appointed attorneys," he wrote. "They explained how my case had now gotten blown out of proportion and was now a high-profile case."

Despite acknowledging that he confessed to the killing after turning himself in, Ortiz-Vite seeks $75 million in damages, a public apology from Trump, and "naturalization to this beautiful country."

According to previous reports, Ortiz-Vite had been living in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program until his protected status expired in 2019. He was deported after a 2020 arrest for drunken driving but later reentered the country illegally before Garcia's murder. Authorities have not publicly said when he returned to the U.S.

The complaint does not identify any specific constitutional or statutory violations, instead alleging Trump unfairly portrayed him as a symbol of illegal immigration during the campaign.

Legal experts said the lawsuit faces long odds.

Matthew Borgula, a criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, said federal courts are required to screen prisoner lawsuits before defendants are served and predicted the complaint is unlikely to survive.

He added that Trump's comments were "substantially true" and that "being publicly embarrassed by a politician isn't a constitutional violation."

"This case should end before it begins," Borgula said.

No hearing has been scheduled in the case. Federal courts routinely review lawsuits filed by prisoners to determine whether they state a legally viable claim before allowing them to proceed.