A Venezuelan illegal immigrant who was arrested Thursday near the White House and police found three guns and ammunition in his car allegedly told police a voice instructed him to kill President Donald Trump, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The Department of Homeland Security said the suspect, Ronny Yordrixguanipa Chrinos, was in a stolen vehicle parked on Constitution Avenue when Secret Service officers approached him after noticing suspicious behavior.
Chirinos told officials he heard voices instructing him to go to the nation’s capital and kill Trump. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10, a Glock 43X handgun and dozens of rounds of ammunition, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Chrinos faces multiple weapons and vehicle-related charges, including carrying a rifle outside a residence or business, unlawful transportation of a firearm, possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition, carrying a handgun without a license, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft and receiving stolen property.
Chirinos illegally crossed the southern border into Texas in March 2024 and was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol before being released back into the United States under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed a complaint against Chirinos with the U.S. Marshals Service, and he is currently in custody.
“Thanks to our brave Secret Service agents, this illegal immigrant with three guns in his car was arrested near the White House before he could harm anyone,” said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “In addition to threatening President Trump, he was an illegal alien from Venezuela who was not eligible to be in our country in the first place.”
U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the arrest showed the threat posed by armed men drawn to the White House complex.
“This is the latest example of Secret Service personnel relying on their extensive training and experience to de-escalate volatile situations that pose an imminent threat to our protectees and other Americans,” Curran said.
Curran added that the agency is “alarmed by the increase in ongoing threats” and will increase its efforts to identify and investigate threats to its protectees before they reach Washington.
Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts and threats in recent years. In July 2024, a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s ear and killing attendee Corey Competore. A second armed suspect, Ryan Routh, was arrested in September 2024 after Secret Service agents found him hiding near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In April 2026, a gunman tried to break into the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, shooting at police officers near a security checkpoint before being detained. In May, Secret Service agents shot and killed a man who fired at a White House checkpoint.