Trump blames Biden after migrant is accused of shooting off-duty CBP officer in New York

Reuters

President Donald Trump has criticised his predecessor Joe Biden after a Dominican man released into the U.S. during the Biden administration was charged with shooting an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer in Manhattan.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday that the suspect, Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, 21, had been “freed into the country” after being apprehended at the southern border in April 2023.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Nunez was arrested near San Luis, Arizona in 2023 and later released pending immigration proceedings. The agency said Nunez had an outstanding kidnapping warrant in Massachusetts and “multiple felony arrests.” A new immigration detainer was lodged after his latest arrest, DHS added.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters on Monday that Nunez had previous arrests for assault, robbery and violating an order of protection and would now face an attempted-murder charge.

“He has inflicted violence in our city,” Adams said.

Police said the off-duty CBP officer was sitting in Riverside Park on Saturday night when two men approached on a scooter and tried to rob him. The officer and the assailants exchanged gunfire; both Nunez and the officer were wounded, but the officer is expected to recover.

Trump praised the officer’s response, saying he “bravely fought off his attacker, despite his wounds.” He accused Democrats of having “flooded our nation with criminal invaders,” a claim the Biden camp rejected during the 2024 election campaign.

The incident has renewed debate over the Biden-era practice of releasing some border-crossers pending court hearings, a policy the Trump administration has sought to reverse since taking office in January.

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