The illegal migrant accused of shooting an off-duty Border Patrol officer in New York City had been released into the U.S. after being vetted only via a Zoom call under the Biden administration, it was reported Wednesday.
Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a 21-year-old Dominican Republic native who was taken into custody Sunday, crossed the southern border in Arizona in April 2023 when the country was enduring a migrant crisis under then-President Joe Biden.
With the U.S.-Mexico border at the time being overwhelmed by the number of migrants seeking to enter the country, agents were helped by colleagues working at the U.S.-Canada border.
Agents at the northern border interviewed illegal southern border crossers via Zoom to speed up their release, the New York Post reported.
One Homeland Security source told the newspaper that virtually interviewing a migrant “was a nightmare” and that it didn’t ensure proper vetting.
“The whole system was overwhelmed by what the Biden administration was allowing,” Charles Marino, former senior law enforcement adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, told the Post.
“The end game was to facilitate the processing of as many illegals into the country as possible.”
In April 2023 alone, more than 183,000 migrants crossed the southern border.
Mora Nunez was released into the U.S. due to a lack of detention space at the border and was given notice to later appear in front of an immigration judge, sources told the Post. He also was ordered to report to his local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, which he apparently did not do.
An immigration judge in 2023 ordered Mora Nunez to be deported after the Dominican failed to show up to court.
Also, a DNA sample, used to find out if someone has a criminal history in the U.S., was not taken from More Nunez due to a shortage of swabs at the time, sources told the Post.
The accused shooter’s name was run through law enforcement databases, and no criminal history turned up at the time.
Mora Nunez was arrested after arriving at a Bronx hospital with gunshot wounds to the groin and leg. Police say he shot the customs officer in the face and arm before being wounded and fleeing a Manhattan park, where the incident occurred.
The 42-year-old officer was in stable condition Sunday and expected to survive.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
