Manhattan detectives are on the lookout for a suspect who shot an off-duty Border Patrol agent in the face during what seems to have been a failed robbery on Saturday night.
According to police sources, the incident took place just before midnight on Saturday within Fort Washington Park, as reported by AMNewYork.
Officers from the 33rd Precinct responded to the vicinity beneath the Washington Bridge after a 911 call was made reporting a shooting.
Upon their arrival, they discovered the 42-year-old victim suffering from gunshot wounds to his face and arm. One bullet had struck him in the cheek, as per sources familiar with the investigation.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived at the scene and transported the victim to Harlem Hospital, where he is currently listed in stable condition and is anticipated to recover.
Sources close to the investigation have confirmed that the victim is an off-duty Border Patrol officer. He was not in uniform at the time of the incident, and investigators suspect that the shooting was linked to an attempted robbery.
Police have reported that a man has been taken into custody for questioning. Charges are pending as the investigation continues, according to the outlet.
In recent days, border czar Tom Homan has cautioned that increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Democratic lawmakers is placing border and immigration agents at greater risk of harm.
His comments followed a shooting involving a Texas police officer outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center.
“The rhetoric against the men and women of ICE is escalating, particularly from members of Congress,” Homan stated during an appearance on “America’s Newsroom” on Monday. “We have senators and congresspeople who compare ICE to the Nazis, liken ICE to racists, and it just keeps going. Thus, the public thinks, well, if a member of Congress can attack ICE, why can’t we?”
He warned that the rhetoric “must cease,” or it is only a matter of time before one of the ICE officers is harmed or a criminal is apprehended. “We’ve already witnessed an officer go down.”
The inflammatory language has originated from Democratic lawmakers rather than Republicans, as reported.
Authorities indicated that the officer was shot in the neck two weeks ago near the Prairieland Detention Facility located in Alvarado, Texas.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, over a dozen agitators vandalized federal vehicles by slashing tires and damaging security cameras at the ICE facility. This incident occurs amidst ongoing protests outside a DHS detention center in Portland, which were ignited by opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.
Homan remarked that assaults on ICE officers and federal agents involved in immigration enforcement have surged by over 800% compared to the same timeframe last year.
In June, Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch from Massachusetts and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz faced backlash from Republicans after comparing federal immigration operations to the Gestapo, the infamous secret police of Nazi Germany.
Homan called on politicians from blue states to take more responsibility in their critiques of immigration officials, emphasizing that these officers also have families and are simply fulfilling the roles for which they were hired and trained.
“We are discussing matters of life and death here. The individuals of ICE, as well as those in border patrol, are also mothers and fathers. They do not leave their emotions at home when they report for duty,” he stated.
The border czar also advised protesters that if they oppose the nation’s immigration laws, they should “go protest Congress.”
The assault on law enforcement occurred shortly after President Trump enacted his $3.3 trillion “big, beautiful bill” into law the previous Friday.
This legislation provides funding for 10,000 new ICE agents and designates $46.5 billion for the construction of a border wall, $45 billion to enhance immigration detention capacity, $30 billion for the hiring and training of ICE personnel, and $6 billion for border technology and surveillance.
