Luis Ernesto Veliz Riera, 23, entered through a port of entry in El Paso, Texas in the same manner that the Biden administration allowed 1,450 “asylum seekers” daily using the CBP-One application. According to an unsealed criminal complaint, Veliz-Riera told authorities at the time of entry that he would be traveling to Las Vegas. Accordingly, CBP presented Veliz-Riera with a Notice to Appear for a hearing before an immigration judge in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to the affidavit, Veliz-Ruiz skipped his immigration hearing and stayed in El Paso, waiting for his girlfriend (also a Venezuelan national) to illegally cross from Mexico into the United States in April-May 2023. On April 30, 2024, an immigration judge entered an order to remove Veliz Riera from the United States after he failed to appear in immigration court or otherwise report to immigration authorities.
Veliz-Ruiz and his girlfriend traveled to several cities within the United States, including Chicago and New York City, and ultimately to Homestead, Florida. In October 2024, local law enforcement authorities in Homestead stopped a car that Veliz Riera was driving. According to authorities, the stop was made in connection with an investigation into potential Tren de Aragua activity.
During the stop and subsequent investigation, law enforcement officers discovered that Veliz-Riera was wanted on an open state crime warrant and that he was in the country illegally. Further investigation showed that, despite his illegal status, Veliz Ruiz kept a Taurus PT609 Pro 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a 30-round magazine inside the Homestead hotel room he shared with his girlfriend and that he had loaded the gun earlier that day, according to the prosecutor’s affidavit.
On November 16, 2024, based on his illegal status, Veliz-Riera went into immigration detention. Despite the nature of his suspected TdA gang status and possession of a firearm, he was released by the Biden administration into the community on electronic monitoring.
On February 3, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) administratively arrested Veliz-Riera to reexamine the decision to release him from immigration detention.
On February 14, 2025, Miami federal prosecutors charged Veliz-Riera with one count of possessing a firearm as an illegal alien. Veliz-Riera will remain in Bureau of Prisons custody pending trial according to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
United States Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office, announced Veliz-Riera criminal case.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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