Guatemalan Migrant Accused of Setting Woman on Fire Was Deported by Trump Administration
The Guatemalan migrant, who allegedly set a woman on fire while she was sleeping on a subway train in New York City, was previously deported by the Trump administration, according to sources familiar with the case.
The suspect, 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta, first entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 at the Arizona border, sources told the New York Post. Days later, he was apprehended and deported. Despite this, sources report that Zapeta managed to re-enter the United States without being detected by authorities. It remains unclear when or how he returned and how long he had been residing in New York.
Law enforcement sources also revealed that Zapeta stayed in several taxpayer-funded migrant shelters throughout New York City after his return. In 2023, he was issued a transit ticket with an address linked to a shelter on Randall’s Island.
Zapeta’s alleged actions on Dec. 22 shocked the nation. Police say he approached a woman who was sleeping on the F train in Coney Island and, without warning, used a lighter to ignite her clothing. Within moments, the woman was fully engulfed in flames. Disturbing footage of the incident shows Zapeta sitting and watching the woman burn as one witness attempted to extinguish the fire.
The NYPD discovered the woman standing and fully engulfed in flames. Officers were able to extinguish the fire, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet released her identity, Fox News reports.
The tragic death has also led to political fallout, with conservative voices sharply criticizing the state’s handling of illegal immigration. President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming “border czar,” Tom Homan, has pointed to Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent social media post about the safety of the city’s subways as a sign of failed leadership.
Homan slammed Hochul’s assurances, which were made roughly eight hours before the deadly attack. He criticized the governor for not addressing the state’s sanctuary policies, which protect illegal immigrants from deportation.
“Governor Hochul, shame on you. There’s nothing you can say that’s going to make this right in New York,” Homan said in an interview with “Fox and Friends” on Monday.
Homan continued, stating that incidents like this have become all too common due to what he described as the “lax immigration enforcement” under the Biden administration. He emphasized that the growing presence of criminal illegal immigrants in American cities is a direct result of policies that limit the ability of law enforcement to apprehend and deport those with criminal histories.
“Here’s another example of an illegal alien killing an American citizen,” Homan added. “It’s almost a daily occurrence now, because a historic number of criminal aliens are walking the streets, because of this administration’s policy in sanctuary jurisdictions and lax immigration enforcement.”
The suspect, 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta, first entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 at the Arizona border, sources told the New York Post. Days later, he was apprehended and deported. Despite this, sources report that Zapeta managed to re-enter the United States without being detected by authorities. It remains unclear when or how he returned and how long he had been residing in New York.
Law enforcement sources also revealed that Zapeta stayed in several taxpayer-funded migrant shelters throughout New York City after his return. In 2023, he was issued a transit ticket with an address linked to a shelter on Randall’s Island.
Zapeta’s alleged actions on Dec. 22 shocked the nation. Police say he approached a woman who was sleeping on the F train in Coney Island and, without warning, used a lighter to ignite her clothing. Within moments, the woman was fully engulfed in flames. Disturbing footage of the incident shows Zapeta sitting and watching the woman burn as one witness attempted to extinguish the fire.
The NYPD discovered the woman standing and fully engulfed in flames. Officers were able to extinguish the fire, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet released her identity, Fox News reports.
The tragic death has also led to political fallout, with conservative voices sharply criticizing the state’s handling of illegal immigration. President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming “border czar,” Tom Homan, has pointed to Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent social media post about the safety of the city’s subways as a sign of failed leadership.
Homan slammed Hochul’s assurances, which were made roughly eight hours before the deadly attack. He criticized the governor for not addressing the state’s sanctuary policies, which protect illegal immigrants from deportation.
“Governor Hochul, shame on you. There’s nothing you can say that’s going to make this right in New York,” Homan said in an interview with “Fox and Friends” on Monday.
Homan continued, stating that incidents like this have become all too common due to what he described as the “lax immigration enforcement” under the Biden administration. He emphasized that the growing presence of criminal illegal immigrants in American cities is a direct result of policies that limit the ability of law enforcement to apprehend and deport those with criminal histories.
“Here’s another example of an illegal alien killing an American citizen,” Homan added. “It’s almost a daily occurrence now, because a historic number of criminal aliens are walking the streets, because of this administration’s policy in sanctuary jurisdictions and lax immigration enforcement.”
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