Texas shooting suspect Francisco Oropesa had been deported from the US four times

Francisco Oropesa, the man accused of shooting to death five people, including a nine-year-old boy, in Cleveland, Texas, last weekend, has reportedly been deported from the United States four times.

Oropesa, reportedly an undocumented immigrant from Mexico according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office, had been detained and removed from the US multiple times, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) source. in English) from the US

said the source the independent that Mr. Oropesa, whose full name is reportedly Francisco Oropesa Pérez-Torres, was first removed by an immigration judge in March 2009.

After that, Mr. Oropesa re-entered the United States at an unknown time and place, but was removed again in September 2009, January 2012, and July 2016.

The immigration status of Mr. Oropesa, as well as that of the victims, has become a topic of interest to the public in the coverage of the horrific shooting.

Abbott’s office issued a statement Sunday confirming the victims and the shooter were “illegal immigrants,” prompting a backlash from the public who criticized Abbott for not referring to the victims as just people.

All five victims were apparently from Honduras. However, one of the victims, Diana Velázquez Alvarado, 21, was allegedly a permanent resident of the United States, according to her husband.

Some accused Abbott of using language like “illegal immigrant” to minimize the severity of the shooting.

Advocates for tougher immigration policies have argued for tighter control of the US-Mexico border by claiming that dangerous people cross into the United States illegally.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz blamed President Joe Biden’s immigration policies for the tragic situation, calling it “predictable.” On twitter.

However, others blamed a lack of gun control for the deadly shooting and said automatic rifles are too easy to buy.

New York Representative Adriano Espaillat, who is a former undocumented immigrant, tweeted, “Americans deserve to be free from gun violence. Americans deserve the freedom not to live in fear.”

Espaillat called on other “MAGA Republicans” to “step up” and create “common sense gun reform.”