On Saturday night, an off-duty Customs and Border Patrol Officer (CBP) in Harlem, New York, while walking through a park with a female companion, was ambushed by a duo on a moped and the officer was shot in the face in an apparent robbery attempt by two illegal immigrants.
When the suspects attacked, the officer was able to fire his service weapon back, shooting the gunmen in the leg and chest. One of the injured gunmen showed up at a local hospital, according to a X post by Viral News NYC:
“In a shocking twist, one of the alleged suspects walked into the [hospital] with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. That individual is now in custody. The second suspect remains on the run…”
Despite successfully fleeing from the scene on Saturday night, the second suspect was apprehended and taken into custody, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem reported in a news conference Monday. Sec. Noem also revealed that both suspects are in the country illegally and that both have a history of violent crime.
I am enormously grateful to God that this @CBP officer is still with us today. His quick action speaks to the tenacity and excellence of our CBP and federal law enforcement officers.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) July 21, 2025
This incident should have NEVER happened. The perpetrator should have NEVER been here in the… pic.twitter.com/NajIanwlML
The first suspect, the gunmen, now identified as Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, is wanted for robbery and stabbing in the Bronx. To make matters worse, Nunez also has an active warrant for kidnapping in Massachusetts and has remained in the United States illegally after being ordered deported back to the Dominican Republic two years ago.
The second suspect, Christhian Aybar-Berroa, had been arrested eight times between March and April of 2024 for grand larcenies and robberies. noted that each time he was “released before [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] could get him off the streets.”
New York Police Department officials alongside Noem related that the incident demonstrates the failures of sanctuary city policies, which limit cooperation between the local police and federal immigration enforcement.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has warned of the dangers to the public of sanctuary city policies in a DHS press release regarding the incident:
“These violent thugs had committed a smorgasbord of crimes and been arrested multiple times and yet New York continued to release them, ignore an ICE detainer and allow them to continue to prey on Americans and terrorize our streets. How many people have to die, how many lives have to be changed forever for Mayor Adams and his sanctuary politician ilk to end these performative politics?”
The two suspects, Nunez and Aybar-Berroa, are likely to have federal charges brought against them.
The officer who was attacked is expected to make a full and quick recovery.
All over the country, the brave men and women of our federal law enforcement are under attack from criminal organizations and violent political extremists alike.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 21, 2025
Despite the 830% increase in assaults on ICE agents, they do the hard work. They routinely put their lives on the… pic.twitter.com/o4JTccspFe
