Violent Fugitive Wanted for Shooting Young Girl Captured on the Border

EL PASO, TX – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers working at the El Paso port of entry arrested a man being sought in Denver, Colorado for shooting two people, including a three-year-old girl. The apprehension occurred just before noon on January 24 at the Paso Del Norte international crossing in downtown El Paso. 

CBP officers performing their duties encountered a 2008 Toyota Camry arriving from Mexico with four people. While performing a primary inspection on the vehicle and its occupants the CBP officer identified one of the passengers as a wanted armed and dangerous fugitive. CBP officers took the man into custody and confirmed the warrant. 

The man is identified as 19-year-old U.S. citizen Guadalupe Jose Villanueva. He is being sought on two counts of attempted murder following a shooting in late December 2020. The crime was featured on Metro Denver Crime Stoppers. 

“CBP officers are diligently working to protect our nation from a wide variety of threats,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha. “On a daily basis CBP officers identify and apprehend people who are being sought by law enforcement. Some seek sanctuary across the border but when they return to the U.S. history has shown that they will be stopped by CBP officers.” 

Another person in the vehicle was also taken into custody in connection with the shooting investigation. Denver police were also seeking 18-year-old U.S. citizen Amaya Wild as an accessory to the crime. Both were turned over to the El Paso Police Department to face extradition to Colorado. The two other people in the car were processed and allowed to proceed. 

In addition to the two high profile fugitive arrests, CBP officers working at El Paso area ports of entry this past weekend took an additional 11 people into custody. That group included people being sought for on drug possession charges, tampering with government records, weapons trafficking, probation violations, failure to appear and a missing juvenile.