United States Secret Service (USSS) officers thwarted a potential tragedy near the White House on Thursday evening, arresting an illegal alien from Venezuela who was heavily armed and openly declared his intent to assassinate President Donald Trump. The man, who was captured and released by the Biden administration along the Texas border in 2024, was allegedly in possession of multiple firearms and ammunition.
Secret Service officers working on Constitution Avenue in Washington observed a suspicious man near the White House, according to a statement the U.S. Department of Homeland Security provided to Breitbart News. DHS officials identified the man as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, a 22-year-old Venezuelan national who illegally entered the U.S. during the Biden Border Crisis in March 2024.
Officials said Chrinos was behaving suspiciously in a vehicle parked near the White House. When officers approached and confronted Chrinos, he made a chilling confession: he claimed he was hearing voices in his head instructing him to travel to the nation’s capital to murder President Trump, officials stated.
Officers searched the Venezuelan illegal alien’s vehicle and found a rolling arsenal of firearms and ammunition, the DHS statement revealed. The officers seized three firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle, a Mac-10, and a Glock 43X pistol, along with dozens of rounds of live ammunition. Authorities quickly confirmed the vehicle itself had been reported stolen.
Officials stated that Chrinos entered the United States by illegally crossing the Mexican border into Texas between ports of entry in March 2024. He was one of nearly 8,000 Venezuelan nationals arrested in the five Texas-based Border Patrol sectors that month, according to the CBP Nationwide Encounters report.
At that time, the catch-and-release policies of the Biden administration led to the release of Chrinos and most of the 8,100 other Venezuelan illegal aliens who crossed the U.S. southern border that month. Many of those were members of the hyperviolent Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang that was subsequently designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Trump administration.
“Thanks to our brave Secret Service officers, this illegal alien with three firearms in his vehicle was arrested near the White House before he could harm anyone,” said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “On top of threatening President Trump, he is an illegal alien from Venezuela who had no business being in our country in the first place.”
Chrinos has been charged with:
- Carrying a rifle outside a home or business
- Three counts of unlawful transportation of a firearm
- Three counts of possessing an unregistered firearm
- Three counts of possessing unregistered ammunition
- Possession of certain dangerous weapons
- Carrying a pistol without a license
- Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle
- Theft and receiving stolen property
Secret Service Director Sean Curran highlighted the escalating danger facing protective details in the current political climate.
“This is the latest example of Secret Service personnel relying on extensive training and experience to deescalate a volatile situation that posed an imminent threat to our protectees and other Americans,” Director Curran said. “This incident reflects the heightened threat environment in which we operate, as well as the continued number of armed individuals who are drawn to the White House complex.”
