Suspect in Pelosi Attack Was in the US Illegally, Officials Say - The New York Times

Politics|Suspect successful Pelosi Attack Was successful the U.S. Illegally, Officials Say

WASHINGTON — The Canadian antheral accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer and trying to kidnap Speaker Nancy Pelosi had been surviving successful the United States with an expired migration presumption for years, officials astatine the Department of Homeland Security said connected Thursday.

David DePape, 42, who the authorities accidental broke into the Pelosis’ location successful San Francisco connected Friday, entered the United States legally connected March 8, 2008, from Mexico done a larboard of introduction successful California, the section said. Typically, Canadian visitors who question to the United States for enactment oregon pleasance are admitted for six months.

Prosecutors accidental Mr. DePape’s intent past week was to instrumentality the House talker hostage, “to earnestly harm her” and to marque her an illustration to different members of Congress. He faces respective authorities and federal charges, including attempted kidnapping, assaulting a comparative of a national official, attempted murder, elder maltreatment and battle with a deadly weapon.

Ms. Pelosi was successful Washington astatine the clip of the assault.

The onslaught connected Paul Pelosi, 82, who is recovering successful an intensive attraction portion successful a San Francisco-area hospital, comes during a clip of heightened politically motivated violence earlier the midterm elections adjacent week. In caller years, determination has been a surge successful threats against political figures from some parties. Ms. Pelosi, the 2nd successful enactment to the presidency, has been 1 of the most targeted figures.

While immoderate Republicans condemned the onslaught connected Mr. Pelosi, others person spread baseless conspiracy theories astir the battle and the attacker’s motives. They person added Mr. DePape’s migration status to their database of criticisms of President Biden’s migration policies.

Mr. DePape’s migration presumption was reported earlier by The Washington Post. The nonstop fig of radical successful the United States who person overstayed the clip they were permitted to beryllium successful the state is unknown; estimates scope from hundreds of thousands to millions of people. Doing truthful is simply a civilian offense.

When Mr. DePape was arrested connected Friday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told section instrumentality enforcement to notify the bureau earlier releasing him from custody, arsenic is emblematic successful situations erstwhile radical who are successful the United States illegally are arrested connected transgression charges. State prosecutors person asked the tribunal not to merchandise Mr. DePape connected bail.

According to a 2020 Department of Homeland Security report, Canadians represented the second-largest radical of people, aft Mexicans, who enactment successful the state beyond the clip they were authorized.

Historically, the United States has struggled to consistently papers radical who determination into and retired of the state via onshore routes — the method utilized astir often by Canadians and Mexicans — compared to radical who question by air, said Julia Gelatt, a elder argumentation expert with the Migration Policy Institute, a bipartisan Washington deliberation tank.

While Mr. DePape’s expired migration presumption would person meant helium could not enactment legally successful the country, helium would not apt travel to the attraction of migration authorities unless helium were arrested, she said.

In caller years, Mr. DePape became stateless and spent his clip absorbed successful an online satellite of right-wing conspiracy theories. After the attack, helium told the constabulary that helium was bushed of “lies” coming retired of Washington and had planned to onslaught different salient authorities and section politicians.

Mr. DePape has pleaded not blameworthy to respective authorities felony charges. A tribunal quality for the national charges against him has yet to beryllium scheduled.

Mr. DePape’s nationalist defender said a defence could see arguing that his lawsuit had a “vulnerability” to misinformation and conspiracy theories that person go portion of American politics. The defence is akin to 1 that respective radical charged successful the Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected the Capitol person used, but it has truthful acold not proved to beryllium a winning one.

Luke Broadwater and Alan Feuer contributed reporting.