A 12-year-old Kansas girl sustained serious injuries after being shot by a Biden-era released illegal immigrant from Mexico, federal authorities said.
The suspect, Diego Moreno-Espinoza, 19, was handling a gun when he allegedly shot the girl in the stomach on July 3 in Wichita, Kansas.
Local reports called it an “accidental” shooting, while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security called him a “thug.”
The victim was taken to the hospital in serious condition, and Wichita police arrested Moreno-Espinoza after investigating the incident. He made his first court appearance last week and faces one charge of aggravated battery.
ICE issued a detainer against Diego Moreno-Espinoza after police say he accidentally SHOT A CHILD in the stomach while MISHANDLING A FIREARM.
Local law enforcement took the 19-year-old Mexican national into custody, and ICE placed a detainer with the Sedgwick County Jail in… pic.twitter.com/ro2nEA2QAz
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) July 24, 2026
Moreno-Espinoza illegally entered the United States as a minor through Arizona in 2024, DHS said. He is among an unknown number of migrants who were allowed into the interior of country by the Biden administration that officials lost track of or went on to commit a violent crime.
“This NEVER would have happened if not for the reckless Biden open border policies that allowed this criminal to be RELEASED into our country,” DHS shared on X.
This BIDEN-RELEASED illegal alien SHOT a 12-YEAR-OLD in Kansas.
Diego Moreno-Espinoza, from Mexico, was handling a gun when he shot the child in the stomach — seriously injuring the victim. @ICEgov has now lodged a detainer against this thug.
This NEVER would have happened if… https://t.co/r1QgJkxnhm pic.twitter.com/8VOYgG3OzF
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 16, 2026
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with the Sedgwick County Jail following his arrest. DHS officials have asked Kansas officials to keep him in jail or transfer him to federal authorities.
“We have requested Kansas officials turn this criminal over to ICE so he cannot commit more heinous crimes in our country,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said.
Wichita police responded to the 1700 block of South Hillside in Wichita, where they found the girl with a gunshot wound to her stomach, KWCH 12 News reported.
The shooting occurred in the basement of a home, but they left with the victim and started to take her to the hospital. First responders told them to stop at a Dollar General store and wait for an ambulance.
During an interview with police, Moreno-Espinoza said he placed the magazine into the handgun but didn’t “mean to pull the trigger.” He said he bought the handgun from a friend about a month prior, according to an arrest affidavit.
Court documents show a protective order is in place prohibiting Moreno-Espinoza from having contact with the girl, according to MSN.
Moreno-Espinoza’s bond is set at $50,000 bond. According to jail records, he remained in the county jail as of Tuesday.
