A Venezuelan migrant has been arrested for the sixth time in the past year for allegedly robbing a woman at gunpoint, just days after prosecutors in an Illinois sanctuary city dropped additional charges against him.
Edmonds Peraza Cortez, 25, is facing one felony count of armed robbery with a firearm, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Cortez allegedly was riding a bike on April 11 when he approached a 41-year-old woman, brandishing a gun and yelling, “Money! Money!”
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Edmonds Peraza Cortez is charged with felony armed robbery in Chicago, Illinois. (Chicago Police Department)
Cortez allegedly demanded the woman hand over her cellphone, wallet and electric scooter.
Police located and arrested Cortez less than an hour after the alleged robbery. The incident was caught on surveillance footage, CWB Chicago reported.
Cortez has been arrested six times in just 13 months, with prosecutors dropping four of the cases against him.
Information regarding an attorney for Cortez was not immediately available.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, along with other federal law enforcement agencies, attend a pre-enforcement meeting in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. ( Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The incident occurred just three days after Cortez was released from electronic monitoring following prosecutors dismissing a narcotics case against him, according to CWB Chicago. Cortez is awaiting trial on reckless conduct and possession of a replica firearm charges.
The Cook County State Attorney’s Office and Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Earlier this week, Mayor Brandon Johnson defended the city’s choice to remain a sanctuary for undocumented migrants.
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Violence is down, investments are up, and we’ll continue to move in that direction to build a more inclusive economy for everyone,” Johnson said.
Johnson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, D- Ill., downplayed violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants as merely “immigrants committing a few crimes” in a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement hearing last week.
“Republicans have lifted up some tragedies that involve immigrants committing a few crimes,” Garcia said. “This is the exception, not the rule. I live in an immigrant neighborhood in Chicago. I know what it’s like.”
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García’s comments drew a strong rebuke from Chicago Flips Red Vice President Danielle Carter-Walters.
“It’s funny that Mr. García is from Chicago, and he cannot tell you what’s happening in our community. If he came into our community, he would see all the gang graffiti, the Tren de Aragua signs, the MS-13,” Carter-Walters testified. “He would see across the street in a park where they’re putting the shelters, all the needles in the park.”
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In a status hearing on Thursday, a judge ordered Cortez to remain in custody as he awaits an official indictment, telling the court, “The defendant is charged with a very serious offense. I believe he is a danger to the community. I believe the defendant’s detention is lawful and appropriate.”
Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick and Mike Tobin contributed to this report.
