By Joseph Lord
An off-duty agent of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) was shot on Saturday in a Manhattan park during what officials are describing as an apparent robbery gone wrong.
The officer’s injuries—gunshots to the face and arm—were not fatal. As of Sunday, the 42-year-old CBP agent was in stable condition and is expected to survive.
“I thank God that he’s still with us and receiving the care from this excellent hospital, Harlem Hospital,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a Sunday press conference.
According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), the shooting does not seem to have been politically motivated, and the agent was not in uniform at the time.
“At this time, we have no indication that the officer was targeted for his employment,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
According to police, the agent was sitting in a park under the George Washington Bridge when a man on the back of a moped approached him. The assailant shot the agent in the face and arm. The officer remained conscious and returned fire as the perpetrators rode off.
Adams announced that, as of Sunday afternoon, “We have a person of interest in custody in New York City.”
That person of interest was identified by Tisch as 21-year-old Miguel Mora.
“At this time, we’re investigating a person’s interest in relation to the shooting. Miguel Mora, a 21-year-old male, walked into BronxCare hospital at 12:18 a.m., with gunshot wounds to the groin and the leg consistent with the injuries sustained by the perp as captured on the CCTV video that our detectives have reviewed,” Tisch said.
He was then taken to Lincoln Memorial Hospital where he underwent surgery.
Adams revealed that Mora had a long prior rap sheet, including prior convictions for assault and violating protection orders. When the shooting took place, he had an active bench warrant from the Bronx, wanted for his role in a December 2024 robbery and a January 2025 stabbing.
“In less than one year, 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,” Adams said.
Tisch revealed that Mora is also wanted in Massachusetts for a February 2025 pawn shop robbery, during which several guns were stolen.
Alongside a video of the attack posted to X, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that Mora is a national of the Dominican Republic who re-entered the United States after being deported and was released by Border Patrol agents in April 2023.
President Donald Trump also weighed in on the shooting in a post on Truth Social.
“Last night, in New York City, an incredible CBP Officer was shot in the face by an Illegal Alien Monster freed into the Country under Joe Biden. He was apprehended at the Border in April 2023 but, instead of being deported, was RELEASED. The CBP Officer bravely fought off his attacker, despite his wounds, demonstrating enormous Skill and Courage,” Trump wrote.
“The Democrats have flooded our Nation with Criminal Invaders, and now, they must all be thrown out or, in some cases, immediately prosecuted in that we cannot take a chance that they are able to come back,” he added.
The incident comes as federal officials warn of a rise in attacks on agents assisting with Trump’s mass deportation operation, particularly those with CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Several officers have chosen to wear masks while on the job to hide their faces and avoid harassment in public and online. Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, has given his backing to such measures.
“If that’s a tool used by the men and women of ICE that keeps themselves and their families safe, then I will allow it,” Lyons said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
