The alleged ringleader of a drone and sniper plot targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on Sunday is reportedly an illegal immigrant.
| PULSE POINTS |
 WHAT HAPPENED: The alleged ringleader of a plot to target UFC Freedom 250 with explosive drones and snipers, Abraham Alvarez, is reportedly an illegal immigrant from Mexico who benefited from former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DETAIL: Alvarez entered the U.S. as a child on a B2 visa, which expired in 2001. He was granted deportation relief under the Obama Administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2014. He and the other four suspects the authorities have arrested allegedly planned to detonate explosives carried by drones at UFC Freedom 250, target the crowds with snipers during the subsequent evacuation, and then storm the gates of the White House in a “second wave” attack. IMPACT: If convicted, each suspect faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to commit murder, along with an additional five years for planning violence on White House grounds. The case raises concerns over the vulnerabilities in immigration enforcement and national security caused by DACA. KEY QUOTE: “This illegal alien from Mexico should never have been allowed in our country,” said DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, adding: “He will face justice and swiftly be removed from our country.” FLASHBACK: The DACA program, introduced by the Obama Administration, has faced years of criticism for providing protections to migrants who entered the U.S. illegally as minors, creating amnesty-style loopholes for abuses such as overstaying visas. |
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