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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivered a scathing condemnation of New York City officials on Monday following the brutal shooting of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer over the weekend. During a press conference after visiting the critically wounded agent in the hospital, Noem made it clear who she believes is responsible: Mayor Eric Adams and the city’s sanctuary policies.
The officer, who has not yet been publicly identified, was shot in the face late Saturday night while off duty in Manhattan’s Fort Washington Park. The alleged shooter, 21-year-old Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez — a Dominican national — is an illegal immigrant with a documented history of prior arrests in New York City. Despite multiple encounters with law enforcement, Nunez had been released repeatedly under the city’s progressive bail reforms.
“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,” Noem said firmly. “This officer is in the hospital today, fighting for his life, because of the mayor, the City Council, and those who were supposed to protect the public — and failed.”
According to Noem, Nunez crossed into the United States illegally in April 2023 and was later relocated to New York as part of the Biden administration’s migrant placement programs. Since then, he had been arrested at least four times but never detained long-term due to the city’s sanctuary and cashless bail policies.
“I want to remind everyone — this individual had been arrested four different times before this happened,” Noem stated. “What did anyone think was going to come out of policies like that? When you release the same violent individuals over and over again, eventually innocent people suffer.”
President Donald Trump also weighed in on the incident, taking to Truth Social to voice his outrage.
“Crime in American cities started to rise when they switched to cashless bail,” Trump posted. “Now the worst criminals are walking free, endangering citizens and even law enforcement. This madness needs to end — immediately.”
Mayor Eric Adams, who originally ran as a Democrat but is now seeking reelection as an independent amid mounting legal troubles, has tried to walk a fine line on the migrant issue. Though he initially supported New York’s sanctuary status, he has since criticized the federal government’s migrant relocation strategies, calling them “unsustainable” and warning they could “destroy” the city.
But Noem made it clear she believes Adams can’t have it both ways. “When I look at what’s happened to this city under his leadership, it’s heartbreaking,” she said. “The families who have suffered — including the family of this officer — deserve better than failed policies and weak excuses.”
Both Nunez and a second suspect are currently in custody as federal investigators continue their work. Meanwhile, the officer remains hospitalized in critical condition, fighting for his life.
Noem ended her remarks with a chilling warning: “This is what happens when we choose politics over public safety.”
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