Pelosi attack suspect David DePape was in US illegally from Canada: reports

The man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer last week was in the country illegally and may face deportation, immigration officials told several news outlets late Wednesday.

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David DePape, 42, faces state and federal charges after authorities said he smashed a window and broke into the Pelosi family home in San Francisco early Friday. Investigators said he aimed to take Pelosi hostage and break her kneecaps to send a message to Congress. He attacked Paul Pelosi, 82, with a hammer after police arrived in response to a 911 call from the home, Chief William “Bill” Scott said last week.

“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,” Department of Homeland Security officials said Wednesday in a statement obtained by The Washington Post and CNN.

Paul Pelosi’s accused attacker ordered held without bail

Immigration officials issue detainers to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies when they intend to take custody of a person who has been detained upon their release. Typically, when people facing deportation also face criminal charges, removal from the U.S. comes after the criminal case is resolved, according to CNN.

Canadian officials confirmed they were working on DePape’s case in a statement obtained by the Post.

Family members told Canada’s Global News that DePape grew up in British Columbia and left for California about two decades ago. Federal records obtained by The Washington Post showed that DePape came into the U.S. legally from Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego County on March 8, 2008.

Man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi facing federal charges

Canadians visiting the U.S. typically do not need visas for stays of up to six months. If they wish to stay in the country longer, they must apply for an extension of their stay, according to officials.

It was not immediately clear when DePape’s permission to be in the U.S. ended.

A judge ordered the 42-year-old held without bond on Tuesday as he awaits trial in San Francisco. In an affidavit, federal officials said he viewed Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as the “‘leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party.”

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden criticized the continued spread of disinformation around the 2020 presidential election. Former President Donald Trump has consistently claimed the election was stolen from him through mass voter fraud, though officials — including his former attorney general, William Barr — have said that no evidence exists to support such claims.

Nancy Pelosi releases statement day after husband’s attack

Biden said attacks like the one on Paul Pelosi “are the consequences of lies told for power and profit, lies of conspiracy and malice, lies repeated over and over that generate a cycle of anger, hate, vitriol and even violence.” He added that Americans are facing “a defining moment, an inflection point.”

“We must with one, overwhelming, unified voice speak as a country and say there’s no place — no place — for voter intimidation or political violence in America, whether it’s directed at Democrats or Republicans,” the president said. “No place, period. No place, ever.”

Paul Pelosi underwent surgery last week to repair a skull fracture and injuries to his arm and hands after the attack, according to a statement from Nancy Pelosi’s office. He’s expected to make a full recovery.

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