David DePape, the alleged attacker of Paul Pelosi, was in the United States illegally and may face deportation, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer on Canadian national David DePape with San Francisco County Jail, Nov. 1, following his Oct. 28 arrest,” a spokesperson for the department said on Wednesday.
DePape, 42, is a Canadian citizen who entered the United States in March 2008 at San Ysidro along the California-Mexico border as a temporary visitor, according to federal records.
Canadians visiting the U.S. do not generally require a visa but are only permitted to stay in the country for six months.
ICE issues detainers to law enforcement agencies regarding “individuals who have been arrested on criminal charges and who ICE has probable cause to believe are removable non-citizens.”
Deportations usually occur after criminal cases are resolved, so the detainer is unlikely to impact DePape’s case directly. However, the U.S. would expectedly implement deportation following an offender’s conviction and prison sentence.
DePape faces federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping in addition to state charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and threatening the life or serious bodily harm of a public official.
DePape allegedly assaulted Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer inside the couple’s San Francisco residence, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The attack reportedly occurred around 2:30 a.m. and was witnessed by police officers responding to an emergency call from the house.
“When the officers arrived on the scene, they encountered an adult male and … Pelosi’s husband, Paul. Our officers observed Mr. Pelosi and the suspect both holding a hammer,” San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said during a press briefing.
He continued, “The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it. Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody, requested emergency backup, and rendered medical aid.”
