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An off-duty Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer was shot in the face in New York City on Saturday night during an attempted robbery involving a previously deported illegal immigrant, according to authorities.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified the suspect as Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a Dominican national who was caught by Border Patrol in April 2023.
After being apprehended at the Arizona border, Nunez was released into the U.S., though he still has an active deportation order.
Video released by DHS showed two suspects ride up to the officer on a motorized scooter in Riverside Park.
TEXAS BORDER PATROL SHOOTER DETAILS REMAIN SCANT AS VIOLENCE AGAINST ICE, CBP AGENTS SURGES
Authorities say Nunez was previously caught by Border Patrol in Arizona and later released into the U.S. (Department of Homeland Security)
According to police, Nunez then got off the scooter and approached the officer while he was sitting and speaking to someone near a body of water. The officer has not yet been identified.
The officer, who was not in uniform, pulled out a gun to protect himself, and a shootout ensued.
The agent was hit in the face and forearm and transported to a hospital, where he is currently in stable condition. He is expected to survive.
Nunez was also injured during the shootout and was shot in the leg and groin. He was dropped off at a hospital in the Bronx, according to authorities.
DHS also told Fox News that Nunez has an active warrant for kidnapping in the state of Massachusetts, in addition to prior felony arrests.
Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows two suspects, allegedly one being Nunez, approaching the off-duty officer before shots were fired. (Department of Homeland Security)
SUSPECT IN NOEM PURSE SNATCHING ACCUSED OF SIMILAR CRIME IN NY WEEKS BEFORE
During a press conference on Sunday, New York Mayor Eric Adams said that Nunez was in custody.
“This 21-year-old male has prior arrests for assault and violating an order protection,” Adams said. “At the time of this shooting, he had an active bench warrant from the Bronx, was wanted for a robbery from last December, and [a] stabbing from January.”
“He has inflicted violence in our city and once he is charged for last night’s crimes, we will be able to add attempted murder to his rap sheet,” the mayor added.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the shooting Sunday afternoon, writing that “an incredible CBP Officer was shot in the face by an Illegal Alien Monster freed into the Country under Joe Biden.”
“The CBP Officer bravely fought off his attacker, despite his wounds, demonstrating enormous Skill and Courage,” Trump wrote. “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. That’s how evil and dangerous they are!”
The incident comes two months after a Fox News Digital report found a high number of migrants committing thefts, assaults and drug crimes, as well as grand larceny incidents and sex crimes.
Nunez, who remains hospitalized, is in unknown condition following the shootout with the CBP officer. (Department of Homeland Security)
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According to the data, 3,219 migrants living in 48 shelters across the city were arrested a total of 4,884 times between Jan. 1, 2023, and Oct. 31, 2024.
Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca, CB Cotton and Brooke Curto contributed to this report.
