President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is refusing to comment on the suspect accused of killing five individuals, including a nine-year-old boy, in Cleveland, Texas. The accused killer is a four-time deported illegal alien from Mexico.
During an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, Mayorkas was asked by anchor Chuck Todd about the mass shooting in Cleveland where law enforcement is on the hunt for 38-year-old illegal alien Francisco Oropeza Perez-Torres of Mexico.
Oropeza is accused of shooting to death his neighbors, a Honduran family: 31-year-old Julisa Molina Rivera, 25-year-old Sonia Argentina Guzman, 21-year-old Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 18-year-old Jose Jonathan Casarez, and nine-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso.
As Breitbart News reported, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has confirmed that Oropeza has been deported on four separate occasions from the U.S.
When asked about Oropeza, Mayorkas refused to comment.
“It’s a horrific crime and I can assure you and the American people that law enforcement will deliver accountability,” Mayorkas said. “The case is an active one, under investigation, so I really can’t comment further.”
Todd pressed Mayorkas further, asking him directly what Oropeza’s exact immigration status is, but Mayorkas again refused to answer.
“There’s a question about his citizenship … perhaps he overstayed [a visa]?” Todd said to which Mayorkas responded, “Chuck, I won’t comment on it because it is an active case. The tragedy that occurred is … just absolutely horrific … we’ll deliver accountability.”
REWARD: There is a combined reward of up to $80,000 ($25,000 from the FBI) for information leading to the arrest of Francisco Oropesa.
If you have information about Oropesa or the #ClevelandTXshooting, submit tips via https://t.co/G7iWD3Yw4f or 1-800-CALL-FBI (press option 1). pic.twitter.com/TYac8vYapb
— FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) May 1, 2023
Though Oropeza was reportedly carrying a consular card issued by the Mexican government, the card does not confer any immigration status in the U.S. His lengthy deportation history suggests he illegally resided in the U.S.
Oropeza was first ordered deported from the U.S. by a federal immigration judge in March 2009. He was quickly deported that month but crossed the border illegally and was deported again in September 2009. Then, in January 2012 and July 2016, Oropeza was also deported.
In January 2012, Oropeza was convicted in Montgomery County, Texas, for drunk driving and given a prison sentence.
Officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Houston office told media on Monday that they have “zero leads” as to Oropeza’s whereabouts. The agency considers him armed and dangerous.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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