A Brazilian national who had overstayed his visa by nearly a decade was apprehended earlier this month in New Jersey after ICE authorities discovered a loaded revolver, an airsoft pistol, and a large knife inside his vehicle during a routine immigration operation.
Daniel Firmino dos Santos Vicente entered the United States through Detroit on a tourist visa in October 2015 but did not leave by the expiration date of April 16, 2016. On Friday, August 9, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark officers, alongside CBP, encountered Vicente in Cinnaminson and discovered many guns in plain sight during his arrest.
Agents claim Vicente had a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol, a realistic airsoft handgun, and a huge knife on the vehicle’s center console, raising worries about officer safety. He was promptly brought into prison.
Vicente is now facing federal criminal accusations as an immigrant in possession of a firearm. He is still in ICE custody at the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility in Elizabeth, pending removal proceedings.
ICE officials cited the arrest as another indication of the growing hazards that federal agents confront, pointing to a dramatic increase in assaults on immigration officers in recent years.
Investigators have found no evidence linking Vicente to any current criminal activity other than immigration and firearms crimes, although the matter is still being investigated.
