Sanctuary Policies Allow Tren De Aragua Shooting Suspect to Escape

WHO:

Fox News - Giovanna Mercedes Moreno Occhipinti, 32, a former Illinois teacher and illegal immigrant from Venezuela with dual citizenship in Italy.

Fox News - Ricardo Granadillo Padilla and Edward Martinez Cermeno, alleged gunmen involved in the shooting.

Fox News - Lauren Bis, DHS Acting Assistant Secretary.

Fox News - Matthew Scarpino, HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge.

WHAT:

Fox News - Occhipinti was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on May 13, 2026.

Fox News - A mass shooting occurred on December 2, 2024, at a Chicago house party, resulting in three fatalities and five injuries.

Fox News - Occhipinti allegedly drove the two gunmen to the scene of the crime.

Fox News - Multiple weapons were found in Occhipinti’s vehicle after the shooting.

Fox News - Occhipinti was charged with unlawful use of weapons and other weapons offenses.

WHERE:

Fox News - The shooting took place at a house party in Chicago.

Fox News - Occhipinti was a teacher at an unspecified school in the Chicago suburb of Elgin.

Fox News - Occhipinti is being held at the Grayson County Detention Center in Leitchfield, Kentucky.

WHEN:

Fox News - Occhipinti entered the U.S. in October 2021 under the Visa Waiver Program and was supposed to leave by January 2, 2022.

Fox News - The mass shooting occurred on December 2, 2024.

Fox News - Occhipinti was arrested on December 5, 2024.

Fox News - Martinez Cermeno was released from ICE custody in January 2025.

WHY:

Fox News - Sanctuary policies in Chicago allowed Occhipinti to be released from jail without notifying ICE after her arrest.

Fox News - The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office decided not to prosecute the suspects involved in the shooting.

HOW:

Fox News - Occhipinti allegedly helped Granadillo Padilla and Martinez Cermeno evade law enforcement after the attack.

(UPDATED June 23, 2026 01:41 UTC)

Giovanna Mercedes Moreno Occhipinti, a 32-year-old former Illinois teacher and illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after allegedly driving two gunmen to a mass shooting at a Chicago house party on December 2, 2024, which left three people dead and five injured. Multiple weapons were discovered in her vehicle, and she faces charges for unlawful use of weapons among other offenses, while being held at the Grayson County Detention Center in Kentucky. Sanctuary policies in Chicago allowed Occhipinti to be released from jail without notifying ICE after her initial arrest, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office opted not to prosecute the suspects involved in the shooting.