WASHINGTON — Three illegal immigrants armed with AK-style assault rifles were arrested last month after crossing into the US from Mexico, The Post has learned.
Mexican nationals Edgar Barrios-Najera, Misael Hernandez-Rodriquez, and Braulio Murrillo-Tevarez now face federal weapons charges after being apprehended by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) near Presidio, Texas, on June 27, Department of Homeland Security officials said.
Two of the illegal aliens were carrying the rifles as they came into the US, while the third confessed to Border Patrol that he had crossed illegally before directing them to the location of an additional weapon. The weapons and ammunition are now in the custody of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
It’s unclear whether the crossings were connected to any gang or cartel activity, though the US has designated several gangs as foreign terror organizations since the beginning of President Trump’s second term, including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, El Salvador’s MS-13 and Mexico’s Cártel de Sinaloa.
“These illegal aliens from Mexico illegally crossed the border with assault rifles and ammunition,” said DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis in a statement.
“Thanks to the swift work of the US Border Patrol and our partner agencies, these three criminals failed to get into our country and will not be able to threaten the American people. Under President Trump’s leadership, our borders are SECURE.”
In May, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced that the US had seen “ZERO releases” at the border — with the total number of daily apprehensions plummeting to the low hundreds, roughly the amount that the Biden administration faced every hour during its highest-volune months.
Last month, Mullin revealed that as many as 10,000 migrant gang members have been arrested since President Trump took office in January 2025. Drugs like the synthetic opioid fentanyl have also been seized at higher rates.
The US Supreme Court issued a favorable ruling in late June allowing the Trump administration to turn away migrants who show up at the US-Mexico border before they apply for asylum.
Asylum seekers have to demonstrate that they fear persecution in their home country for their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political views.
Once granted asylum, the migrants are shielded from deportation and can legally remain to work in the US, are permitted to bring their family members into the country and can seek legal residency as well as eventual citizenship.
