A judge handed an illegal immigrant who shot an off-duty Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer in a New York park the maximum sentence for his crime in the hopes of making an example out of him.
U.S. District Court Judge Loretta Preska sentenced 22-year-old Dominican national Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to his role in the July 19, 2025, attack, according to The New York Post.
“There is an overwhelming need to send a message to people who come to the U.S. to commit crimes,” she said.
Mora Nunez crossed the border illegally into Arizona in 2023 before being released into the country by the Biden administration, according to law enforcement sources. He received a deportation order in 2024, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Once in New York, Mora Nunez went on a crime spree and was let go after each arrest despite having a deportation order, the Post reported.
The attack occurred as the federal officer, Joshua Sinclair, was sitting with a woman on a rock near the Hudson River in Fort Washington Park in Manhattan. Mora Nunez, accompanied by his fellow Dominican illegal immigrant Christhian Aybar-Berroa, 23, ambushed them while driving on a moped around 11:50 p.m.
Mora Nunez shot the officer in the face and right arm before the off-duty fed returned fire, shooting the Dominican illegal immigrant twice. Mora Nunez fled the scene.
Aybar-Berroa later attempted to get rid of his bloodied clothes after the shooting, discussing the plans with Mora Nunez’s relative.
For his role in the shooting, Aybar-Berroa received a sentence of 12 years and seven months.
The attack caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who blamed Democratic politicians for the shooting in a Truth Social post.
“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,” Trump wrote. “That’s how evil and dangerous they are!”
Police responding to a nearby robbery believed to be tied to the same suspects, who allegedly stole a woman’s phone minutes before the shooting, were able to quickly respond and save the officer’s life, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at the time.
Mora Nunez was wanted on kidnapping and weapons charges out of Massachusetts related to a robbery at a pawn shop that occurred before the shooting, the Post reported. He also had at least four arrests in New York City, but he was let go each time without bail.
Authorities arrested Mora Nunez twice within days in August 2024 for allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman and threatening to kill another migrant with a machete, according to the outlet. In November 2024, he was arrested for violating an order of protection and had another warrant issued for his arrest in January 2025.
Mora Nunez still faces 25-years-to-life in a pending separate murder case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
CBP Director of Field Operations Francis J. Russo said Monday’s sentence brings the agency “another step closer to full justice for our officer and our entire community.”
“While our brave officer continues his courageous recovery, this resolution sends an unmistakable message that violence against law enforcement will be met with the full weight of the law,” Russo said.
Mora Nunez fought back tears during Monday’s hearing as he attempted to apologize for the shooting before a courtroom full of CBP officers, including Sinclair, according to the Post.
“I have been separated from my little girl who I love very much, I really wish to be with her and be a better role model,” he said.
“I wish I could go back in time and avoid everything that has happened,” he added.
Preska did not appear to be convinced by Mora Nunez’s statement, pointing to prosecutors’ claims that he had bragged about his charges to other inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the Post reported.
“Nothing instills any confidence that he has learned to respect the law, and the sentence should reflect that,” Preska said.
.png)
.png)
