Gun-Wielding Illegal Alien Allegedly Shoots Two NYPD Officers in Latest Migrant Crime Incident

In the early hours of June 3, 2024, NYPD officers Christopher Abreu and Richard Yarusso were investigating a robbery when they encountered 19-year-old Bernardo Castro Mata, an illegal alien from Venezuela, driving a motorized scooter with no plates the wrong way down a street.

As the officers attempted to stop him, Mata fled on foot. That’s when officers chased him several blocks and tackled him. Mata then allegedly pulled out a pistol and began firing at the officers, injuring both. Officer Abreu was shot in the leg, while Officer Yarusso was struck in his bulletproof vest. One officer returned fire and struck the suspect in the right ankle.

Officer Yarusso aided Officer Abreu by applying a tourniquet to his leg to help stop the bleeding.

Mata crossed into the U.S. via Eagle Pass, Texas, last July, where he was caught, arrested, and released. He made it to New York City and lived in a hotel turned migrant shelter near LaGuardia Airport. According to the New York Post, Mata had an immigration hearing in Chicago on May 6, where his case was closed. That means he was not ordered deported and no longer needed to check in with ICE.

Despite having no prior criminal history in New York City, he was a suspect in snatch-and-grab robberies of two women just days before the NYPD officer shooting.

Sources told the New York Post they believe Mata is a member of the bloodthirsty Venezuela gang, Tren de Aragua, due to a tattoo on his arm of a clock and anchor.

This is not the first time NYPD officers have been targeted by illegal aliens. In January, a mob of migrants allegedly beat NYPD officers near Times Square. The officers were seen telling the group of migrants to move along before being attacked. The assault left multiple officers injured.

The illegal alien suspects in the Times Square attack, who were living in shelters throughout New York City, were arrested but released without bail shortly after.

What’s so blood-boiling to Americans about incidents like police officers being attacked in New York City or the tragic murder of Laken Riley is that they were preventable. A direct path can be followed from the open-borders policies of the Biden administration to the crimes allegedly committed.

Bernardo Castro Mata could have been removed from the country when he crossed the border illegally. He could have been detained. The immigration judge at the May 6 hearing could have ordered him removed from the country.

Instead, the policies of this administration allowed him to illegally cross the southern border and then be caught and released. He made it to New York City and moved into a shelter. He had his immigration case closed, allowing him to remain in the country. He somehow obtained a gun and wound up allegedly shooting two NYPD officers.

This illegal alien had no regard for American laws and allegedly no regard for life.

President Biden must prioritize the safety and security of American citizens by enforcing our immigration laws and securing our borders. President Biden’s latest executive order doesn’t change anything, it simply keeps his open-borders policies in place and will allow more people like Bernardo Castro Mata to cross our borders. President Biden must end all illegal crossings and stop catch-and-release. The Senate must also take up H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, to ensure that illegal aliens are caught, detained, and deported.