Border Patrol officer shot in NYC by 2 men in US illegally: DHS
Adams responds after CPB officer was shot off-duty by undocumented migrants
A CBP officer is in critical condition after he was shot by two undocumented immigrants on Saturday, July 19. FOX 5 NY's Lisa Evers reports from Harlem Hospital.
NEW YORK CITY - Two men in the U.S. illegally shot a border patrol officer in the face during a botched robbery in a New York City park, according to officials.
Both alleged attackers are now in custody, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
"There's absolutely zero reason that someone who is scum of the earth like this should be running loose on the streets of New York City," she said during the Monday morning press conference.
Off-duty CBP officer shot
Timeline:
According to police, the 42-year-old officer was off duty, sitting with a woman in a park beneath the George Washington Bridge on Saturday just before midnight. The Department of Homeland Security released surveillance video showing two men on a moped approaching him and his companion in an apparent robbery attempt.
That's when investigators say one of them came up from behind and pulled out a gun. The off-duty agent was shot in the face and the arm, but managed to return fire with the service weapon, striking one of the suspects in the leg.
That alleged attacker, identified by officials as Miguel Mora, walked into BronxCare Hospital just after midnight with gunshot wounds in his groin and leg. Homeland Security released footage of one of the suspects driving the other to the hospital, depositing him outside and then driving away.
He underwent surgery and was arrested afterward, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The second attacker was detained Monday, but officials have not released his name.
Who is Miguel Mora?
Dig deeper:
Tisch said Mora, a 21-year-old Dominican national, entered the country illegally in 2023 through Arizona. Noem blamed the Biden administration for "releasing him back into this country" after he crossed the border.
He has two prior arrests for domestic violence in New York and an active warrant after not showing up to court for one of the cases.
Mora is also wanted in connection with a December 2024 robbery, as well as a January stabbing – both of them taking place in the Bronx. Police say Mora is also wanted for a pawn shop robbery happening in Massachusetts dating back to February.
Reaction from Border Patrol officer shooting, arrests
What they're saying:
"Our officer is a hero," said Frank Russo, director of Field Operations for Customs and Border Protection. "He did exactly what we ask of all of our officers under the circumstances.
President Donald Trump took aim at Democrats when responding to the shooting in a post on Truth Social, writing, in part: "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!"
Similarly, Noem blamed sanctuary city policies and Democratic mayors for letting a criminal with a rap sheet loose.
"When I look at what [NYC Mayor Eric Adams] has done to New York City, it breaks my heart to see the families that have suffered because of his policies," she said.
Meanwhile, Adams blamed the criminal justice system.
"This issue, an incident of this shooting, is a clear example of everything that's broken by our criminal justice system," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.
What we don't know:
Investigators don't believe the agent was targeted, nor do they suspect the shooting was politically motivated. Police believe the same exact pair tried to rob someone else in the vicinity of the park minutes before the shooting unfolded.