Illegal migrant accused of shooting dead 2 Texas Chick-fil-A workers previously sneaked into US
The illegal migrant accused of shooting dead two Texas Chick-fil-A workers had previously sneaked past authorities to enter the US illegally, sources told The Post.
Oved Bernardo Mendoza Argueta — a 37-year-old native of El Salvador who is charged with capital murder — told authorities he crossed into the US illegally, but claimed not to know when or where, Homeland Security sources said.
He also told authorities he’s married with a child, whom he says is a US citizen.
The number of migrants crossing the border without detection has skyrocketed in recent years, amounting to roughly 1.8 million since the start of the Biden administration.
In June alone, more than 100,000 migrants — including 30,000 who crossed the border illegally — were allowed to enter the US.
Mendoza Argueta allegedly opened fire Wednesday at the fast food joint location in the Dallas suburb of Irving before fleeing the scene in a silver 1997 Honda sedan.
His wife works at the Chick-fil-A and helped authorities track down Mendoza Argueta, according to FOX 4.
Authorities tracked him down and arrested him around 2:50 a.m. Thursday.
The victims of the shooting have since been identified as 31-year-old Brayan Godoy, a father of four from Guatemala, and 49-year-old grandmother Patricia Portillo, FOX 4 reported.
Godo’s wife, Elisabeth, told FOX 4 that her husband moved to the area by himself from Guatemala and juggled multiple jobs to support his family back home.
Portillo’s daughter told the local outlet that Patricia’s grandkids will have to grow up without their grandmother.
“Our hearts are broken by the tragedy that unfolded inside our restaurant Wednesday. We will miss our two Team Members dearly,” Chick-fil-A said in a statement. “Right now, our focus is on providing care for our Team and the victims’ families.
“I want to thank the Irving Police Department for their professionalism and compassion. We will continue working closely with them as they conduct their investigation.”
Irving Police said Mendoza Argueta has a hold from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), meaning they’ve requested to take him into federal custody.
Mendoza Argueta’s case is just one of many recent violent crimes involving illegal immigrants.
Just days before the fatal Chick-fil-A shooting, 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was allegedly tortured and murdered by two illegal migrants from Venezuela in Houston.
Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, have both been charged with capital murder after they allegedly lured little Jocelyn under a bridge and assaulted her for two hours before dumping her half-naked body into a local bayou, according to court documents.
Before her death, Jocelyn was sexually assaulted, according to KTRK.
Both Peña and Rangel-Martinez, had been in the US only a few months after they were vetted and released by federal border authorities after each separately crossing the southern border into El Paso, Texas.
