A 32-year-old Venezuelan woman working as a teacher in Illinois has been arrested by federal immigration agents after authorities linked her to a deadly mass shooting connected to the Tren de Aragua gang.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arrested Giovanna Mercedes Moreno Occhipinti on May 13. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest in a press release, identifying Occhipinti as an illegal alien who entered the United States under the Biden administration in 2021. She also held dual citizenship in Italy.
As originally reported, Occhipinti is accused of driving two Tren de Aragua shooters to a house party in Chicago in 2024, an attack that left three people dead and others injured. After the shooting, police investigated her vehicle and discovered multiple weapons inside. Investigators concluded she had not only transported the shooters to the scene but had also helped them evade law enforcement afterward.
The two alleged shooters, identified as Granadillo Padilla and Martinez Cermeno, were later detained and deported.
Chicago Police arrested Occhipinti on December 5, but she was subsequently released. The Cook County State Attorney’s office declined to criminally prosecute her, reportedly due in part to her immigration status. Chicago’s sanctuary city policies also meant local authorities did not hold her for ICE.
That’s where federal agents stepped in.
HSI Chicago’s Human Trafficking and Smuggling Group took up the case and arrested her this month, five months after local authorities had let her walk free.
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis did not mince words about the situation. This illegal alien who used to work as a teacher was involved in a mass shooting in Chicago that killed three people and injured others,” she said. “Although Chicago police arrested this illegal alien shortly after the shooting, sanctuary politicians released her from jail without notifying ICE.”
Bis added, “Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, DHS is doing the job that sanctuary politicians in Illinois refuse to do: putting the American people first and removing these dangerous criminals from our communities.”
HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino echoed those remarks. “Giovanna Mercedes Moreno Occhipinti’s actions were calculated and deliberate, leading to the loss of three lives,” he said. “I’m proud of our agents for pursuing this case to the end, ensuring that everyone who helped facilitate this mass homicide is brought to justice.”
The case has reignited debate over sanctuary jurisdiction policies, which critics argue shield dangerous individuals from federal immigration enforcement, sometimes with deadly consequences.