A Venezuelan illegal immigrant armed with three firearms was arrested near the White House after telling officers voices ordered him to kill President Trump, another close call after his earlier border release.

Secret Service officers approached a blue Ford F-150 parked on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., around 11:42 p.m. on Nov. 5 and found Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos inside with an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10, a Glock 43X pistol, and dozens of rounds of ammunition.

USA TODAY reported that the 26-year-old Venezuelan told officers voices in his head had directed him to travel to the capital and kill President Donald Trump. The encounter began as a welfare check after officers noticed suspicious behavior. The vehicle had been reported stolen.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the quick action that stopped the threat before anyone was hurt.

"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,"

Mullin said in a Nov. 6 Department of Homeland Security statement. Chrinos now faces a stack of firearms and vehicle charges and remains in U.S. Marshals Service custody. ICE has asked that he be held for possible immigration proceedings.

Officers found the guns after a late-night welfare check

Chrinos was reportedly asleep in the truck when officers moved in. Through Google Translate he said he had weapons he wanted to turn over to the government. He also claimed the truck belonged to his boss and that he had bought the firearms about a month earlier while living in the vehicle.

One statement captured during questioning stood out.

"I have the gun because they tried to kill me with it, and I had to take it away from them; it's in the brown bag."

That is what Chrinos allegedly told investigators, according to details carried in the initial reporting. DHS listed the charges as carrying a rifle outside a home or business, three counts of unlawful transportation of a firearm, three counts of possessing unregistered firearms, 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.

The New York Post reported Secret Service Director Sean Curran linking the arrest to a wider pattern. Curran said the incident reflects the heightened threat environment and the continued number of armed individuals drawn to the White House complex.

Threats against the president and his family have already forced heavy protective measures, including cases where Barron Trump lives behind bulletproof glass under constant security details.

Prior illegal entry and release set the stage

DHS said Chrinos entered the United States illegally through Texas in March 2024. Border Patrol arrested him, then released him into the country. Roughly a year and a half later he sat armed in a stolen truck steps from the White House.

Breitbart noted the same timeline and the catch-and-release path that put him back on American streets with the ability to obtain multiple firearms. The outlet underscored how close the armed man came to the presidential complex after that earlier release.

Families still live with the long shadow of earlier violence against Trump, including the death of James Copenhaver after years of suffering from wounds received in the 2024 assassination attempt.

The Washington Examiner covered the arrest of the armed migrant next to the White House following the threats against Trump, adding to the public record of the firearms recovery and the suspect’s statements.

Charges pile up while immigration hold is sought

As of Nov. 6 Chrinos remained in Marshals custody. ICE’s request for a hold keeps open the chance of removal proceedings after the criminal case. USA TODAY said it could not locate information on an attorney for him at the time of its update.

The combination of an illegal entry, a later release, a stolen vehicle, three unregistered guns, and an explicit statement about voices ordering a presidential killing leaves little room for soft explanations. Secret Service training and a routine late-night check prevented worse outcomes on Constitution Avenue.

Security around the president has repeatedly required hard choices, from responses to leaks to the handling of high-profile threats that force Trump to address extreme risks directly.

When an illegal immigrant already once intercepted at the border can reappear armed and talking about killing the president outside the White House, the policy failure is not abstract. It sits in the recovered rifle, the MAC-10, the Glock, and the stolen truck. Lawful order and secure borders exist to stop exactly this kind of near miss before the next one is not stopped in time.