Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tore into Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council over sanctuary policies on Monday – as a second illegal migrant suspect was nabbed over the Manhattan shooting of an off-duty US Customs and Border Protection officer.
Christhian Aybar-Berroa was taken into custody following the arrest of Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, 21, both Dominican Republican nationals with rap sheets in New York, after they allegedly ambushed the agent and his female companion in Fort Washington Park late Saturday, Noem said.
“There’s absolutely zero reason that someone who is scum of the earth like this should be running loose on the streets of New York City,” Noem said after visiting the injured agent at Harlem Hospital, joined by President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan.
“Make no mistake, this officer is in the hospital today, fighting for his life, because of the policies of the mayor of the city and the City Council and the people that were in charge of keeping the public safe refused to do so.”
Noem said families have “suffered” as a result of sanctuary city policies.
“When I look at what Mayor Adams has done to New York City, it breaks my heart to see the families that have suffered because of his policies,” she said.
Under sanctuary city jurisdictions, the NYPD is prevented from cooperating with federal immigration authorities on civil enforcement.
Adams, who can’t unilaterally change the laws, has previously insisted he would like to loosen the Big Apple’s restrictive migrant designation — but that the City Council won’t play ball.
When confronted with Noem’s attack, Adams said he was bound by the city’s laws. He noted they’re in place so law-abiding immigrants aren’t afraid to bring their children to the hospital or contact police.
“I just carry out the rules,” he said.
Any repeal of the Big Apple’s sanctuary city laws would require council action.
“The City Council made it clear they don’t want to change that,” Adams said on CBS’s “The Point with Marcia Kramer” in December.
“They stated they’re not willing to change the sanctuary city law. I think they’re wrong. I have my teams looking at my power as executive orders,” he said.
Homan promised to “flood the zone” with immigration agents after the attack.
Adams responded that he would welcome ICE agents, so long as they’re going after violent criminals such as the suspect who shot the border agent.
“If he’s going to assist us to go after those individuals, I welcome you,” the mayor said. “If it’s going to be to go after everyday individuals who are trying to complete their lives, to be a citizen — I don’t think we should do that.”
Mora Nunez, who was wounded when the CBP agent returned fire during the alleged botched robbery, was cuffed after he showed up at a Bronx hospital in the wake of the incident, authorities said.
His alleged accomplice was busted early Monday, Noem said.
Both had prior busts in the Big Apple, authorities and sources said.
Mora Nunez, who crossed the US-Mexico border illegally back in April 2023, had already been nabbed at least four times in the Big Apple — but later cut loose without bail each time, Noem said.
He was busted twice just days apart in August 2024 for allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman and threatening to kill another migrant with a machete, law enforcement sources said.
Mora Nunez was also arrested for violating an order of protection in November 2024 and had another bench warrant out for his arrest that was issued in January, sources said.
None of the charges were bail eligible, which meant – under New York City’s sanctuary laws – that he wasn’t turned over to ICE at the time.
At the time of his arrest in Saturday’s shooting, Mora Nunez was wanted on kidnapping and weapons charges out of Massachusetts tied to a robbery at a pawn shop, according to the sources.
“I want to remind you that this individual had been arrested four different times before this act happened on Saturday night — arrested and released again and again and again,” Noem said.
“What did we think was going to happen from policies like that? When you take a dangerous individual and you allow them to never face any consequences for the acts that they’re perpetuating against the public… then you end up in a situation that could have been prevented.”
Aybar-Berroa, meanwhile, entered the country illegally in 2022, according to Noem.
He also had prior arrests in the city for reckless endangerment and larceny but was released before ICE could detain him, she said.
The arrests come after the pair, who were riding a moped, were allegedly caught on camera ambushing the CPB agent and his female friend at about 11:50 p.m. on Saturday, authorities said.
Footage released by Homeland Security allegedly showed Mora hopping off the moped and approaching the off-duty agent before opening fire – striking the victim in the face and left forearm.
He then reeled back when the officer returned fire, the video showed.
The federal agent, who hasn’t been identified publicly, underwent surgery Sunday.
Noem vowed to flood the Big Apple and other sanctuary cities with federal agents to crack down on illegal migrants in the wake of the ordeal.
“What we’ll do in a city like this, we’ll double down. We’ll put more agents here. We’ll put more personnel here,” Noem said.
“We’ll give them more equipment, more training for situations where they may have to go into a dangerous neighborhood where local law enforcement won’t be there to have their backs.”
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