After entering the US illegally last year, the Venezuelan immigrant who shot and wounded a police officer in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday was supposed to be deported; nevertheless, an immigration judge granted him an extension to remain in the US, a Homeland Security official told The Post.
The source claims that in November 2023, suspected police shooter Jorge Chacon-Gutierrez, 25, crossed the border with a group of over 600 migrants.
Border officials were processing him for “expedited removal” at the time, but he said he was afraid of persecution in Venezuela, so he went to see an asylum officer. The officer denied his claim and proceeded with his removal.
But when Chacon-Gutierrez requested to present his case before an immigration judge, the judge promptly overturned his order of removal and allowed Chacon-Gutierrez’s case to proceed.
According to the source, the instance demonstrates the “many loopholes” in the US immigration system. Before Chacon-Gutierrez passed away, authorities claimed he engaged in gunfire with them as they were responding to a report of domestic abuse in the wee hours of the morning.
It’s unclear how the Venezuelan national, who is said to have fired the opening bullets, perished. The girlfriend of Chacon-Gutierrez reported him to the police for assault. Police discovered Chacon-Gutierrez laying in bed with a rifle by his side as they broke into the apartment.
The responding cops are said to have returned fire and left the apartment when he allegedly started shooting at them.
According to officials, a female cop was shot many times during the altercation and sustained injuries. Later, she was brought to a hospital where she had surgery.
Read Also: 16-Year-Old’s Death Highlights Alarming Trend of Youth Violence in Hayward
The shooting is only one of several high-profile violent acts that recently-vetted and recently-released immigrants into the US have committed. Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was brutally killed by two Venezuelan migrants who are suspected of raping her in Houston last month.
Members of the dangerous Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela have been conducting violent crimes in New York, including moped snatch and grab robberies, bringing guns into city-run migrant shelters, and attacking law enforcement officers.
The question being looked into by police is whether the individual who shot and murdered two people on July 21 outside a migrant shelter in Brooklyn was associated with any particular gang.
