Communities across the country are at risk from illegal immigrants who are taking advantage of the Biden-Harris administration's loose southern border to victimize innocent Americans.
The efforts of police and prosecutors have set an example for these immigrants to be arrested or convicted of violent crimes in 2024.
1. Guatemalan immigrant charged with arson of woman on New York City subway
Sebastian Zapeta, an immigrant deported from Guatemala, was charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, and one count of arson after setting a woman on fire on the subway on December 12. was indicted for. 22 Brooklyn, New York.
Illegal immigrant charged with murder after woman burned to death on subway
On December 24, 2024, Sebastian Zapeta appears in court after being charged with setting a woman on fire on a New York City subway train. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)
Surveillance video showed the suspect, believed to be Zapeta, approaching a woman who may have been seated and asleep on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stilwell Avenue subway station.
She was then set on fire.
“Once the train entered the station, the suspect calmly approached the victim,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference, adding that the female victim was in a seated position. “The suspect used what appeared to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which completely engulfed him within seconds.”
Zapeta was arrested by Border Patrol on June 7, 2018, after illegally entering Sonoita, Arizona, a week earlier, and was deported by the Trump administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Jeff Carter told Fox News. told. Zapeta then illegally reentered the United States at an unknown date and location, Carter said.
2. Venezuelan immigrant Jose Ibarra sentenced for murder of Laken Riley
In November, a Georgia judge found Jose Ybarra guilty of murder and sentenced him. Augusta University student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus in February.
Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard found Ybarra guilty of 10 charges, including one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder, one count of kidnapping, one count of aggravated assault with intent to commit rape, and one count of aggravated assault. handed down the verdict. One charge was for interfering with a 911 call, one for tampering with evidence, and one for “peeping tom.”
Ibarra has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Jose Ybarra (left) was found guilty on 10 charges in the death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley (right). (Hyo-Seob Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
Prosecutors said Ibarra, 26, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, attacked and killed nursing student Riley, 22, as she jogged on a path near Herrick Lake. university of georgia campus In Athens on the morning of February 22nd.
Laken Riley murder case: Judge sentences college murderer after family calls him 'monster' in court
3. Mexican man arrested for murdering girlfriend after being deported from US
Brandon Ortiz Vito, who was deported to his native Mexico in 2020, was arrested in March on murder charges in the death of a Michigan woman after he was suspected of illegally reentering the United States.
Ortiz-Vito, who is being held at the Kent County Jail in Michigan, is charged with felony murder, field murder, motor vehicle robbery, carrying a concealed weapon and use of a firearm after the body of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia was discovered. has been done. It was discovered on Route 131 in downtown Grand Rapids.
Police said the two were in a romantic relationship at the time of the murder.
Brandon Ortiz Vito, who is being held in Michigan's Kent County Jail, is facing murder and other charges after the body of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia was found on Route 131 in downtown Grand Rapids. (Mavi Garcia, Kent County Jail)
Ortiz-Vito, 25, was arrested by Detroit Enforcement Operations (ERO) on August 31, 2020 and served with a notice to appear. He was ordered removed by an immigration judge in the Department of Justice's Office of Immigration Review. (EOIR) on September 24, 2020 and transferred to Mexico on September 29, 2020,” the spokesperson said. ICE told Fox News Digital.
“At an unknown date and location, Ortiz-Vito re-entered the United States without being inspected by immigration officials.
“On March 24, 2024, ERO Detroit encountered Ortiz Vito, who was arrested by Michigan State Police and charged with murder and other crimes,” the spokesperson added. “ERO Detroit has detained suspect Ortiz Vito in the Kent County Jail.”
4. Honduran national charged with attempted rape and sexual assault on hiking trail
At a press conference in November, the Herndon, Virginia, Police Department announced that Dennis Humberto Naveretto Romero, 31, was charged with kidnapping with intent to defile and rape a stranger he grabbed on the street. did.
On Nov. 24, officers responded to W&OD Trail for a call about a woman who approached a passerby and asked for help, claiming she had been raped.
The victim told police Romero grabbed her, pushed her to the ground and raped her.
Honduran illegal immigrant Denis Humberto Naveretto Romero was charged with raping a woman on a popular hiking trail outside Washington, D.C., days after being released from prison on another sex crime charge. (Herndon Police Department)
The woman was able to fight off her attacker and flee to seek help. Police found Romero a short time later.
Romero, a Honduran national, has a documented history of sexual assault and lewd acts in the area dating back to 2022, Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBord said.
Officials said Romero was homeless and had been in and out of prison, but had never served any significant time. He also explained that several less serious charges have been dropped by prosecutors, the official said.
Illegal immigrant with extensive criminal history arrested on suspicion of attempted rape within days of release
5. Immigrant wanted for murder in Dominican Republic charged with murder of New York family
Julio Cesar Pimentel Soriano, a native of the Dominican Republic, was arrested in September on suspicion of murdering a family of four in their New York home.
August 31st, Flame Ubaldo, 30 years old. Marangily Moreno-Santiago, 26 years old. Evangeline Ubaldo-Moreno, 4 years old. The Irondecoy Police Department wrote in a post on X that 2-year-olds Sebastian Ubaldo Moreno and Sebastian Ubaldo Moreno were killed in their home.
“It was a terrifying sight,'' Irondequoit said. police chief Scott Peters said at a press conference. “I've been doing this job for about 32 years and I've never seen anything like this.”
Julio Cesar Pimentel Soriano, 34, from the Dominican Republic, was arrested in September on suspicion of murdering a family of four in upstate New York. (Wham)
Illegal immigrant from Dominican Republic suspected of murdering New York family: Police
Police arrested Pimentel Soriano on September 7th.
“It appears that Mr. Soriano entered the island of Puerto Rico illegally and obtained fraudulent identification in New York State,” Irondequoit Police said in a statement. “With that identification, he could freely travel from Puerto Rico to the mainland United States.”
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At the time of his arrest, Pimentel Soriano was wanted for a murder in his home country in 2019, the ministry said.
Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin, Michael Dorgan and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
