In a recent development, a second illegal immigrant connected to the shootings of off-duty customs and border protection officers is now suspected of being involved in a scooter robbery ring, believed to have nearly 30 suspects linked to the thefts.
Twenty-two-year-old Christian Iver Velour was apprehended by immigration agents following the arrest of 21-year-old Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, who allegedly attacked an officer and two women at Fort Washington Park in Manhattan.
Mora Nunez has been accused of shooting a 42-year-old officer who actively resisted during the incident. Velour allegedly assisted in the robbery.
“We’re working to establish Velour’s involvement in Saturday night’s robbery, and we anticipate he will face the consequences,” Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem stated during a press conference.
This was not Velour’s first encounter with law enforcement. He has been treated leniently by the judicial system, much like Mora Nunez.
Entering the U.S. illegally during the Biden administration in 2022, Velour was granted parole prior to his immigration hearing, as noted by Noem.
He moved to New York City, where he has been arrested five times by the NYPD after being ordered for deportation in January 2023, yet he was released each time.
All his arrests were related to a scooter robbery spree that had been affecting New York City amidst ongoing immigration challenges.
Interestingly, none of the charges brought against him were bailable under the controversial 2019 Bail Reform Act, allowing his release after each arrest.
Authorities have linked Velour to a pattern of robberies involving 28 snatch-and-run incidents in the Bronx.
One arrest in April 2024 involved allegations that he and others snatched a phone from four women in just ten minutes.
The five arrests were consolidated into a single case, resulting in a guilty plea for petty theft in June. Nonetheless, Velour received a conditional discharge and roamed freely until his arrest on Monday, when agents were investigating Mora Nunez’s associates.
Mora Nunez, who suffered injuries when CBP agents returned fire during an attempted robbery, was arrested after arriving at a hospital in the Bronx.
Both men are suspected of operating together as part of a scooter robbery crew, including a midnight ambush on a federal officer and his female friends just a few days prior.
Video footage supposedly shows Mora Nunez jumping off a moped and approaching an agent before opening fire.
After the officer returned fire, Mora Nunez is seen fleeing the scene.
Prior to the shooting, Mora Nunez had multiple arrests for various offenses, and his alleged crimes seemed notably more violent compared to those of Velour.
He allegedly assaulted a pregnant woman in August 2024 and threatened another migrant with a machete. Furthermore, he was wanted for weapons-related accusations following a pawnshop robbery.
