Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday that a second illegal migrant has been arrested in connection with the weekend shooting of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer during an attempted robbery in Manhattan’s Riverside Park. The officer, who was shot in the face and forearm Saturday night, remains hospitalized. Noem visited the officer and used the incident to strongly criticize sanctuary city policies, claiming they contributed to the attack.

One of the suspects, Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, is a Dominican national who was previously apprehended by Border Patrol in April 2023. Noem stated that Nunez had been arrested four times in New York City but was released due to sanctuary city protections. She referred to him as “scum of the earth” and accused New York’s leadership of allowing dangerous individuals to remain free and endanger public safety.

The second suspect, identified as Christhian Aybar-Berroa, also from the Dominican Republic, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2023. Despite a criminal history that included reckless endangerment and larceny, Aybar-Berroa was released before ICE could take custody due to New York’s sanctuary policies, according to Noem.

Sources within ICE told Fox News that both suspects are believed to be linked to a February armed robbery in Leominster, Massachusetts, where a store owner was tied with duct tape and held at gunpoint before two firearms were stolen. The investigation is ongoing.

Noem expressed sympathy for the injured officer and called for urgent policy changes. She condemned the leadership in sanctuary cities like Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago, urging mayors and governors to uphold their duty to protect the public. “American families deserve safety and should not have to live in fear because of failed policies that shield violent criminals,” she said.