An off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was shot on Saturday during an attempted robbery by two illegal immigrants in New York City.
In a Sunday press release, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it had “lodged a detainer against an illegal alien accused of ambushing and shooting a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer who was off duty in New York City in Fort Washington Park under the George Washington Bridge on July 19 at approximately 11:51 PM ET.”
“A witness of the attack—believed to be an attempted robbery—states that she and the victim were sitting on the rocks by the water when 2 subjects on a scooter drove up to them and the passenger got off the back and approached them with a firearm drawn,” the Department of Homeland Security added. “The off-duty CBP officer responded by withdrawing his own firearm in self defense.”
A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, by Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin shows Saturday’s shooting incident.
While the press release confirmed that the Customs and Border Protection officer was shot in both his left cheek and right arm, the Department of Homeland Security noted that the officer was hospitalized in stable condition.
In Sunday’s press release, the Department of Homeland Security identified one of the suspects as Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic who illegally entered the United States in April of 2023 and was released into the U.S. under former President Joe Biden’s administration.
In a statement on Monday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed that the second suspect in Saturday’s shooting, identified as Christhian Aybar-Berroa, had been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Noem noted that Aybar-Berroa is also an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic who illegally entered the United States under the Biden administration in 2022.
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“He has a criminal record in New York City and detainers were IGNORED thanks to @ericadamsfornyc sanctuary city policies,” Noem tweeted. “He was arrested for reckless endangerment and larceny and was released before ICE could get him off the streets.”
In a Sunday statement on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Last night, in New York City, an incredible CBP Officer was shot in the face by an Illegal Alien Monster freed into the Country under Joe Biden. He was apprehended at the Border in April 2023 but, instead of being deported, was RELEASED. The CBP Officer bravely fought off his attacker, despite his wounds, demonstrating enormous Skill and Courage.”
“The Democrats have flooded our Nation with Criminal Invaders, and now, they must all be thrown out or, in some cases, immediately prosecuted in that we cannot take a chance that they are able to come back,” Trump added. “That’s how evil and dangerous they are!”
