On a November flight arriving in New Orleans, a passenger accused of forcing his way toward the cockpit and claiming to carry a bomb became the center of a larger and more uncomfortable question about how a nation decides who may stay. The Department of Homeland Security, now speaking with the authority of the government's own records, says the man had already been deported twice and later won asylum on the ground that he feared violence in Honduras because he is transgender. Those claims remain the government's account, drawn from excerpts it chose to release, and they sit alongside charges t
DHS Says Twice-Deported Cockpit Suspect Won Asylum on Transgender Persecution Claim
Deported twice, then granted asylum, then accused of storming a cockpit.
Mark
Why is this story drawing attention beyond the flight itself?
Mimi
Because there are two stories joined together. One is an alleged cockpit breach and a bomb claim on Flight 2174. The other is how a man deported twice ended up with asylum.
Mark
What does DHS say happened with the asylum?
Mimi
That an immigration judge granted it after his 2019 arrest at San Ysidro, based on his written fear of being killed in Honduras because he is transgender.
Luke
Worth noting that the application excerpt came from DHS. We haven't seen the full file or the judge's reasoning.
Mark
And the timeline between release and asylum?
Mimi
ICE released him in January 2020 under a judge's order pending removal proceedings. DHS says asylum came after that, but the source gives no date.
Luke
Right, that's a gap. We don't know when the grant happened or what evidence the judge weighed.
Mark
Secretary Mullin says he gamed the system. Is that established?
Luke
That's the secretary's characterization. Nothing in the reporting shows the claim was found false, only that DHS disputes the outcome.
Mimi
What is on the record is the arrest, the no-bond hold, and the charges: terrorizing, false information about planned arson, and being a fugitive from justice.
Luke
And those are allegations. The DOJ and sheriff's office haven't commented yet.
Le Pouls
- A United Airlines flight landed in New Orleans on November 9 with law enforcement already waiting for a passenger accused of trying to force into the cockpit.
- The alleged claim of a bomb turned a disruptive incident into a potential terrorism case, and he is now held without bond.
- DHS has pushed the story beyond the arrest, saying an immigration judge granted asylum after years of illegal border crossings and deportations.
- Secretary Markwayne Mullin calls the outcome a failure of a weak asylum system that he says was gamed, and the government is pressing that case publicly.
- Much of the asylum narrative rests on DHS's own excerpt, while DOJ and the sheriff's office have not yet responded, leaving the core facts unverified.
On a November flight arriving in New Orleans, a passenger accused of forcing his way toward the cockpit and claiming to carry a bomb became the center of a larger and more uncomfortable question about how a nation decides who may stay. The Department of Homeland Security, now speaking with the authority of the government's own records, says the man had already been deported twice and later won asylum on the ground that he feared violence in Honduras because he is transgender. Those claims remain the government's account, drawn from excerpts it chose to release, and they sit alongside charges that have not yet been tested in court. What the episode reveals is less a single verdict than a familiar tension between protecting the vulnerable and trusting the systems meant to sort them.
A United Airlines flight landed in New Orleans on November 9, and waiting for it was law enforcement, there to meet a man accused of trying to force his way into the cockpit. The passenger, Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, 34, a Honduran national, is alleged to have claimed he had a bomb during the attempt.
In the days since, the Department of Homeland Security has added a second chapter. It told Fox News that an immigration judge had granted Gomez-Alberto asylum, following his third illegal entry attempt in 2019, on the ground that he feared being killed in Honduras because he is transgender. DHS supplied an excerpt of his application, in which he allegedly wrote that he feared killing by private citizens or police in both countries. The full file has not been made public.
DHS describes a history of two deportations after Border Patrol apprehensions in Texas and New Mexico, followed by a 2019 arrest in California and a 2020 release under an immigration judge's order while proceedings continued. Secretary Markwayne Mullin called the case a failure of a weak asylum system and credited law enforcement with stopping the man.
He is held without bond on terrorizing and false-information charges. ICE has lodged a detainer with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. The Justice Department and the sheriff's office had not yet responded, and the asylum record and the government's claims about screening remain to be independently confirmed.
A United Airlines flight landed in New Orleans on Nov. 9, and when it did, law enforcement was waiting for a man accused of trying to force his way into the cockpit. The passenger, Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, 34, a Honduran national, is alleged to have claimed he had a bomb during the attempt. The aircraft was United Flight 2174.
In the days since, the Department of Homeland Security has added a second part to the story. It confirmed to Fox News that Gomez-Alberto had been granted asylum by an immigration judge. According to DHS, the grant followed his third attempt to enter the United States illegally, in 2019, and rested on his stated fear of being killed in Honduras because he is transgender.
DHS supplied an excerpt of the asylum application. On it, Gomez-Alberto checked "Yes" when asked whether he feared harm or mistreatment if sent home. He allegedly wrote that he feared being killed, by private citizens or by police, in both countries, because he is transgender. The excerpt is DHS's own release, and the full file has not been made public.
The department's account of his immigration history is specific. Border Patrol apprehended him after he crossed illegally near El Indio, Texas, in September 2011, and again near Columbus, New Mexico, in October 2014. He was deported after each encounter. In 2019, Border Patrol arrested him after an attempted entry near San Ysidro, California. ICE released him from custody in January 2020 under an immigration judge's order while removal proceedings were pending. DHS now says an immigration judge later granted him asylum.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin framed the case as a failure of the system. In a statement he said the man tried to storm the cockpit, hijack a plane and claimed to have a bomb, and that law enforcement is the reason he is now behind bars. He added that the twice-deported man was let into the country because of a weak asylum system that he was able to game.
On the criminal side, Gomez-Alberto is being held without bond. According to Fox News Digital's earlier reporting, the charges are terrorizing, communicating false information of planned arson, and being a fugitive from justice. Newly obtained emergency radio audio captured part of the response. On the call, a voice says officers have him at the back door and that he has breached it.
ICE lodged a detainer with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office on Nov. 10, asking to be notified before he is released from custody. The Department of Justice and the sheriff's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
Much of what is known about the asylum case comes from DHS alone. The immigration court record, the basis on which the judge ruled, and any role the government played in that proceeding have not been independently shown. Also worth watching are DOJ's charging decisions and whether the detainer affects how the case proceeds.
Citations marquantes
This twice-deported criminal illegal alien was allowed into our country because of a weak asylum system that allowed him to game the system.— DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin
He allegedly wrote that he feared being killed by private citizens or police because he is transgender.— Asylum application excerpt provided by DHS
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