Eight Venezuelan illegal immigrant squatters were arrested in a New York City home with drugs and guns after being released into the U.S. by immigration authorities. One of the squatters, Hector Desousa-Villalta, was arrested again on Wednesday after allegedly brandishing a gun and was released without bail in August despite being suspected of murder. Two other migrants, Yoessy Pino Castillo and Yojairo Martinez, were also arrested during the raid on the home.
Desousa-Villalta, who was allegedly waving a gun during the incident, had previously been arrested for shooting a fellow migrant in the leg during an argument. The case fell apart when the victim refused to cooperate. Castillo, who was encountered at the southern border in Texas in May 2023, was arrested in New Jersey in January for shoplifting and burglary tool manufacturing. Martinez, who was arrested at the southern border in Texas in September 2022, will remain in custody as deportation proceedings begin.
Three other migrants, Johan Jose Cardenas Silva, Yerbin Benjamin Lozada Munoz, and Javier Jose Albornoz Marchan, are subject to ICE detainers. Silva entered the U.S. illegally and was ordered deported in March 2023 but was released from custody and did not report to ICE. Munoz was taken into custody at the southern border in October 2022 before being released.
Marchan entered the U.S. in May 2023 and has been arrested multiple times for suspected shoplifting, weapons possession, having a loaded firearm on school grounds, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. Miguel Gregerio Barrios is the only migrant suspect still being sought by authorities.
Following the arrests, authorities found seven firearms, over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and various drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and hallucinogens in the home where the Venezuelans were squatting. The migrants are facing multiple charges including weapons possession, having a loaded firearm, and possession of a controlled substance.
The Bronx District Attorney’s Office informed Fox News that they had requested Desousa-Villalta be held on $150,000 bail, but he was released without bail following his arrest for shooting a fellow migrant in Yonkers in August 2023. Authorities discovered that these migrants had entered the country through various southern border crossings and were released by immigration authorities before being arrested in New York.
ICE agents have taken three of the migrants into custody and issued detainer requests for four others who are currently in local custody. The lone migrant suspect still being sought is Miguel Gregerio Barrios. The arrests highlight the challenges faced by immigration authorities in tracking and deporting illegal immigrants with criminal records after they are released into the U.S. at the southern border.
