A man arrested in Washington, D.C., two weeks ago for allegedly shooting multiple police officers who were responding to a call at his residence is a previously deported criminal illegal alien.
Stephen Claude Rattigan, 48, opened fire on officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on Valentine’s Day when they served an outstanding arrest warrant at his home related to a 2023 incident involving animal cruelty. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) says that he “was captured by a security camera beating one of his dogs several times in the face.”
Rattigan, also known as Julius James, is a Jamaican national who has a criminal history dating back to 1995, including larceny and drug charges, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told The Daily Wire.
Rattigan allegedly shot three police officers at his home and then barricaded himself inside the residence for more than 12 hours. After he was arrested, 31 dogs were removed from his residence.
Federal prosecutors charged Rattigan with assault with intent to kill while armed, assault on a police officer while armed, and possession of a firearm during a crime.
ICE has lodged a detainer request against Rattigan to have him transferred into their custody “once his time is served” so he can be once again deported.
Rattigan was deported from the U.S. in 2001 but later illegally re-entered the country at an unknown date and unknown location.
Reporter Julio Rosas was the first to report that Rattigan was an illegal alien.
🚨: A law enforcement source has confirmed to me the man who recently shot three DC police officers, Stephen Claude Rattigan, also known as James Claude Julius, is in the US illegally.
He has an active ICE deportation order. I reached out to ICE for comment. pic.twitter.com/hN7ij1qa95
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) February 26, 2024
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The alleged crime is just the latest example of high-profile offenses involving illegal aliens since President Joe Biden took office. Under the Biden administration, more than 7.2 million illegal aliens — a number greater than the population of 36 U.S. states — have entered the U.S. The border crisis has become the top issue for voters heading into this fall’s general election, an expected rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports a massive increase in the number of criminal illegal aliens encountered at the U.S. border under Biden’s presidency.