Dominican National Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Shooting of Off-Duty Border Agent

Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a national of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty on May 4, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to one count of possessing ammunition as an illegal alien, stemming from his July 19, 2025, shooting of an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in Manhattan, per the U.S. Department of Justice press release.

The case directly involves Mora Nunez as the sole defendant and one victim, the off-duty CBP officer who sustained injuries from the shooting. No additional individuals or broader populations are named in the charges, which focus on the single incident in New York City.

The ammunition possession charge applies specifically to illegal aliens under federal law, with no mention of wider enforcement actions affecting immigrant communities or CBP personnel beyond this event.

Before the plea, Mora Nunez faced indictment on the ammunition possession charge following his arrest after the shooting. The guilty plea resolves the criminal case, shifting it to the sentencing phase under U.S. District Court procedures in the Southern District of New York.

No specific sentencing date is provided in the release, but federal guidelines for this offense typically involve potential imprisonment and fines, with proceedings to follow standard timelines.

The plea triggers mandatory immigration consequences, including likely initiation of removal proceedings by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon conviction, as federal law requires deportation for aliens convicted of firearms-related offenses.

Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, along with Homeland Security Investigations and CBP, will submit sentencing recommendations to the court. The resolution also closes the investigative phase led by HSI's New York Field Office, freeing resources for other cases.

The plea follows the July 2025 shooting, which occurred amid routine off-duty activities of the CBP officer. Federal authorities have pursued similar charges in immigration-related firearms cases, with the Southern District of New York handling multiple such prosecutions in recent years under statutes prohibiting ammunition possession by illegal aliens.