Venezuelan Illegal Immigrant Released by Biden Admin Accused of Sledgehammer M*rder in Houston

Another day, another horrific crime allegedly committed by an illegal immigrant who never should have been in this country in the first place.

A 19-year-old Venezuelan national is now sitting in a Harris County jail cell after allegedly beating his co-worker to death with a sledgehammer at a Houston-area construction site. And yes, he was caught and released by the Biden administration back in 2023.

The victim, a carpenter named Juan Antonio Salinas Leija, was found dead inside a home he was renovating. His family discovered his body after not hearing from him for two days. Let that sink in.

Here’s the story:

NEW: ICE confirms that the suspect arrested in Houston, TX for allegedly using a sledgehammer to bludgeon a coworker to death is a Venezuelan illegal alien who was caught and released at the border by the Biden administration in November 2023. ICE has placed a detainer request on… pic.twitter.com/IivRCIad0x

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) April 20, 2026

The reaction on social media has been fierce, and rightfully so:

Meet Josue Abraham Chirino-Leonice, a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the United States under Biden.

He was arrested in Texas after he allegedly brutally m*rdered a co-worker with a sledgehammer.

Democrats have blood on their hands. pic.twitter.com/8dQOIIEOI6

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 20, 2026

Fox News had the full details:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has asked officials in Democratic-run Harris County not to release an illegal immigrant suspect from custody after he allegedly beat a coworker to death with a sledgehammer on a construction site in a suburb of Texas’ largest city, Houston.

Venezuelan national Josue Abraham Chirino-Leonice has been charged with the murder of carpenter Juan Antonio Salinas Leija at a north Houston home earlier this month, according to reporting by local outlet KHOU-11. The outlet said Salinas Leija was found dead at a home under renovation with severe wounds consistent with a sledgehammer attack.

DHS said U.S. Border Patrol first arrested Chirino-Leonice in November 2023. The agency said the Biden administration “subsequently released him into the interior of the country.”

Border Patrol had this guy in custody. They had him. And the Biden administration let him walk right into the country. Now a hardworking carpenter is dead.

ICE’s acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez didn’t hold back in a statement on the case.

The official ICE press release laid out the details:

“This criminal illegal alien, who never should have been allowed into the country in the first place, is accused of savagely beating a co-worker to death with a sledgehammer and leaving him to die in a house they were renovating together,” said ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez.

“Our officers are working tirelessly to restore integrity to our nation’s immigration system to bring an end to the carnage and unnecessary suffering in this country that’s caused by criminal illegal aliens, and we won’t rest until we’ve accomplished that mission.”

And here’s the kicker. This is all happening while the Democratic-majority Houston City Council recently voted to end a policy requiring law enforcement to hold illegal immigrants for ICE for at least 30 minutes. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to claw back $110 million from the city if they don’t reverse the move.

ICE has arrested thousands of illegal immigrants in the Houston area since President Trump returned to office, including at least 414 criminal illegal aliens charged with or convicted of child sex offenses. In just five days at the start of the month, ICE Houston arrested nearly 150 criminal aliens.

The Houston City Council is set to reconsider the policy this Wednesday. Given what just happened, they’d better make the right call.

What’s your take?