Undocumented immigrant faces judge in shooting of customs officer in Manhattan
LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- One of the undocumented immigrants accused of shooting an off-duty Customs and Border Protection agent in Washington Heights faced a judge on federal charges.
Cristian Aybar Berroa went before a federal judge Friday and was held without bail following a brief arraignment.
More charges could be on the way. Manhattan District Attorneys Office says its office also plans to bring charges, saying in a statement "The DA's office has been coordinating with federal prosecutors and, now that their charges have been filed, we intend to bring state charges in the near future."
Berroa is one of the two suspects who authorities say is in the country illegally and behind Saturday's botched robbery that left a border officer shot in the face.
Officials say Aybar Berroa drove the scooter in last weekend's incident and 21-year-old Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez allegedly fired the gun. Both men were indicted for their roles.
The shooting took place along the shores of the Hudson shortly before midnight on Saturday. Authorities say Mora Nunez attempted to rob the officer. In the shootout that followed, both Mora Nunez and the officer were shot.
Prosecutors say Aybar Berroa drove Mora Nunez to The Bronx, where he was treated at Lincoln Hospital for two gunshot wounds.
Surveillance images allegedly show Aybar Berroa leaving the hospital with Mora Nunez's bloody clothes, which were later recovered.
Police say the 22-year-old Aybar Berroa is a suspect in at least four additional robbery cases and is believed to be part of a 28-incident robbery spree committed by suspects on scooters, operating mostly in the Bronx.
Mora Nunez was ordered deported in November 2024 and Aybar Berroa was ordered deported in January 2023. But they remained on the streets even after they were arrested, over and over again, for a variety of crimes.
Days after the incident, blame was cast on Mayor Eric Adams from the DHS secretary. The Trump administration is now suing Mayor Adams and other top officials in federal court with a 37-page lawsuit. They are apparently hoping a judge will rule New York's sanctuary city policy unconstitutional.
Adams was asked about the laws on morning television on Friday.
"We should be able to coordinate with the federal authorities to address those situations, not legal people who are going about following their next step on the American Dream, that are undocumented," Adams said. "We should not be harming them at all. These are innocent people who are just trying to pursue the American Dream."
Adams has asked the city council to reexamine these sanctuary city laws as he says some of them have gone too far when dealing with violent criminals, and to help streamline efforts with the federal government.
The DOJ has filed similar lawsuits against other states from Colorado to New Jersey.
"That's going to be a pretty routine filing with other cities, too. As you know, we've brought numerous lawsuits with other cities," President Donald Trump said. "We want to bring safety, we've got to get the criminals out, and we are doing it in record numbers."
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