Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday visited the Customs and Border Protection officer who was shot in New York City over the weekend during an attempted robbery involving a previously-deported illegal immigrant. 

The off-duty officer was allegedly struck in the face and forearm in Manhattan’s Riverside Park on Saturday night. Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a Dominican national who was caught by Border Patrol in April 2023, was taken into custody following the shooting while his alleged accomplice remained on the loose Monday. 

“A witness of the attack — believed to be an attempted robbery — states that she and the victim were sitting on the rocks by the water when 2 subjects on a scooter drove up to them and the passenger got off the back and approached them with a firearm drawn. The off-duty CBP officer responded by withdrawing his own firearm in self-defense,” Homeland Security said in a statement.  

“The CBP officer was shot in his right arm and left cheek. Thankfully, the officer is in stable condition at the hospital,” it added. 

Authorities say Munez was previously caught by Border Patrol in Arizona and later released into the U.S. (Department of Homeland Security)

After being apprehended at the Arizona border, Nunez was released into the U.S., though he still has an active deportation order. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams described Nunez as a “21-year-old male has prior arrests for assault and violating an order protection.”  

At the time of this shooting, he had an active bench warrant from the Bronx, was wanted for a robbery from last December, and [a] stabbing from January,” Adams also said. “He has inflicted violence in our city and once he is charged for last night’s crimes, we will be able to add attempted murder to his rap sheet,” the mayor added. 

President Donald Trump weighed in on the shooting Sunday afternoon, writing that “an incredible CBP Officer was shot in the face by an Illegal Alien Monster freed into the Country under Joe Biden.” 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sits before President Trump arrives to speak at a roundtable discussion with first responders and local officials at Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville, Texas, during a tour to observe flood damage, on Friday, July 11, 2025.  (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

“The CBP Officer bravely fought off his attacker, despite his wounds, demonstrating enormous Skill and Courage,” Trump wrote. 

Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.