Nothing says "thank you for letting me stay" quite like allegedly plotting a mass casualty attack on the White House lawn during a UFC event. As The American Tribune reported, the Department of Homeland Security has revealed that the alleged ringleader of a foiled terrorist plot targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event is an illegal alien from Mexico who overstayed his visitor visa by roughly 25 years. That is not a typo.
Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, who apparently went by the alias "Shepherd" because every wannabe terrorist needs a dramatic code name, was arrested by the FBI in Omaha, Nebraska on June 14. According to DHS, Alvarez planned, organized, and directed a plot to carry out what officials are calling a "mass-casualty attack" against government officials and attendees at the White House event. Four co-conspirators were also nabbed in Ohio, Missouri, and California.
The Justice Department announced federal charges on June 16 for all five suspects, including conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds. So, you know, the light stuff.
Here is where the timeline gets particularly fun. Alvarez entered the United States on a B2 visitor visa. That visa expired in December 2001. He just never left. Then, in 2014, he received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status under the Obama administration. ICE has now filed a detainer for him, which feels a bit like locking the barn door a quarter century after the horse moved in and allegedly started plotting terrorism.
According to DHS, Alvarez provided his co-conspirators with attack details in an encrypted group chat, including plans involving "counter snipers and drones," with their stated intent to be "as deadly as we can get." Charming bunch.
Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis did not mince words. "This illegal alien from Mexico should never have been allowed in our country. He was the ringleader of a failed terror attack targeting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House," said Bis. "He and his co-conspirators now face charges of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds. He will face justice and swiftly be removed from our country."
The official House Republicans account on X shared photos of Alvarez along with a pointed message: "Take a hard look at that arrogant grin, America. This is the face of an illegal alien who came here as a child, got special Obama amnesty in 2014, and repaid America by leading a terror plot against the White House during UFC Freedom 250."
One user offered a concise response: "Deport his smug face."
Hard to argue with the brevity there. The man allegedly overstayed a visa by two and a half decades and used that time to allegedly organize an attack on American soil. Whatever your politics, we can probably all agree the system had a few opportunities to catch this one.
Read more American news stories at: The American Tribune
