(ConservativeSense.com) – The growing concerns amongst lawmakers and American citizens about dangerous individuals entering the US over the southern border were just reinforced by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant who was arrested at the US Capitol for brandishing a butcher’s knife, a machete, and a brick.
According to a report from the Washington Examiner, 23-year-old Jose Leonardo Marquez was arrested the day after Christmas by Capitol Police. Marquez was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of a dangerous weapon. According to the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Venezuelan immigrant “unlawfully entered” the country “on an unknown date” and “at an unknown location” without permission to enter, mandatory inspection, or parole from immigration officials.
Marquez is considered a “got-away,” which is terminology used by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to refer to any foreign national who intentionally avoids using official ports of entry in order to enter the US illegally and evade being captured by law enforcement. Some data approximates the number of get-aways at around 1.7 million since the beginning of 2021, when President Joe Biden took office.
The acting field director of ICE ERO, Patrick Divver, said that the Venezuelan immigrant was “a significant threat” to those “in and around” the Capitol. He praised law enforcement for “quickly” mitigating the threat and said that Marquez is “fortunately” in the custody of ERO to “face removal proceedings.”
Marquez was arrested by border agents back in August 2022, near the border town of El Paso, Texas. The Venezuelan was released the following day before the state lacked “detention capacity” to hold him. He was given notice to attend a hearing before a Justice Department immigration judge after reporting to ICE officials in Washington, D.C., in October 2023. The day after the incident at the Capitol, agents filed a detainer against him and transferred Marquez into ERO custody.
According to data from Fiscal Year 2022, over 46,000 illegal immigrants encountered at the border had criminal histories, including charges and convictions for homicide, assault, kidnapping, and more.
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