An illegal immigrant accused of preying on Americans is among the suspects in the NYC subway burning incident that killed Laken Riley.

Innocent Americans have been victimized by illegal immigrants who have taken advantage of a lax southern border under the Biden-Harris administration, leaving communities nationwide on edge.

In 2024, police and prosecutors set an example by arresting or convicting migrants for their violent crimes.

1. Guatemalan immigrant accused of setting woman on fire in NYC subway

A previously deported immigrant from Guatemala, Sebastian Zapeta, was charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, and one count of arson after a woman was set on fire and killed on a subway train in Brooklyn, New York, on December 22.

The suspect, suspected to be Zapeta, was seen on surveillance video approaching the woman, who was stationary and possibly sleeping on a F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station.

Then, she was set on fire.

"During a press conference, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that the suspect, a female, calmly approached the seated victim as the train arrived at the station. The suspect ignited the victim's clothing with what is believed to be a lighter, causing it to become fully engulfed in flames within seconds."

On June 7, 2018, Zapeta was caught by Border Patrol and deported by the Trump administration after entering the U.S. illegally in Sonoita, Arizona, a week prior. Later, Zapeta reentered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date and location, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson Jeff Carter.

2. Venezuelan migrant Jose Ibarra sentenced in Laken Riley's murder

In February, a Georgia judge convicted and sentenced Jose Ibarra, the suspect accused of murdering Augusta University student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus in November.

Ibarra was convicted by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard of 10 charges, including one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder, one count of kidnapping, one count of aggravated assault with intent to rape, one count of aggravated battery, one count of hindering a 911 call, one count of tampering with evidence, and one count of being a "peeping Tom."

Ibarra pleaded not guilty to all counts.

On the morning of Feb. 22, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, Ibarra, attacked and killed Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, while she was jogging along trails near Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia campus in Athens.

3. Mexican citizen arrested for girlfriend's murder after removal from US

In March 2021, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, who was deported to Mexico in 2020, was arrested on murder charges for allegedly reentering the United States illegally and killing a Michigan woman.

Ruby Garcia's body was discovered on U.S. 131 in downtown Grand Rapids, leading to the arrest of Ortiz-Vite at the Kent County, Michigan, jail on charges of felony murder, open murder, carjacking, carrying a concealed weapon, and felony use of a firearm.

At the time of the killing, the pair were in a romantic relationship, according to police.

On August 31, 2020, Ortiz-Vite, 25, was arrested by ERO Detroit and served a notice to appear. He was ordered removed by an immigration judge with the Justice Department's EOIR on September 24, 2020, and was subsequently removed to Mexico on September 29, 2020, according to a spokesperson for ICE.

Without the knowledge of date and place, Ortiz-Vite illegally entered the US without any immigration official's inspection.

"On March 24, 2024, ERO Detroit encountered Ortiz-Vite after he was arrested by the Michigan State Police and charged with murder and other crimes. The spokesperson stated that ERO Detroit lodged a detainer with the Kent County Jail for Ortiz-Vite."

4. Honduran national accused of attempted hiking trail rape, sexual assaults

In November, the Herndon Police Department in Virginia announced that Denis Humberto Naverette Romero, 31, was charged with abducting and raping a stranger he grabbed off a trail.

On the 24th of November, authorities were summoned to the W&OD Trail due to a report of a woman requesting assistance from a passerby after stating that she had been raped.

Romero allegedly grabbed the victim, forced her to the ground, and raped her, according to the police report.

Romero was quickly found by the police after the woman managed to escape and seek help.

Maggie DeBoard, Herndon Police Chief, stated that Romero, a Honduran national, has a documented history of sexual assaults and indecent exposures in the region dating back to 2022.

According to a source close to the matter, Romero has been homeless and has had multiple charges dropped by prosecutors. Despite this, he has been in and out of jail but never served any significant time.

A murder suspect in the Dominican Republic is being sought by authorities for the killing of a New York family.

In September, a man from the Dominican Republic, named Julio Cesar Pimentel-Soriano, was arrested for allegedly killing a New York family of four in their home.

On August 31, four members of the Ubaldo-Moreno family were brutally murdered in their Irondequoit home, according to a post by the Irondequoit Police Department.

"Irondequoit Police Chief Scott Peters stated at a press conference that the scene was horrific and, with over 32 years of experience, he had never witnessed anything similar."

Police arrested Pimentel-Soriano Sept. 7.

According to Irondequoit Police, Mr. Soriano entered Puerto Rico illegally and obtained fraudulent New York identification, which allowed him to travel from Puerto Rico to the United States mainland.

At the time of his arrest, Pimentel-Soriano was wanted for a 2019 murder in his own country, according to the department.

This report was contributed to by Audrey Conklin, Michael Dorgan, and Jasmine Baehr of Planet Chronicle Digital.