Elected officials call for stronger borders after illegally living murder suspect arrested in Broome County

VESTAL (WBNG) – Politicians and the public are speaking out after a Peruvian man suspected in more than 20 murders in his home country was arrested in Broome County on Wednesday.

Gianfranco Torres-Navarro and his girlfriend Ortiz Ubillus were arrested late Wednesday night at the Walmart in Vestal.

Torres-Navarro is suspected of 23 murders and of being the leader of the gang “Los Killers” in Peru. After evading several arrest attempts in Peru, Torrs-Navarro illegally crossed the southern border into Texas on May 16.

Torres-Navarro was detained at the border but was then released pending immigration hearings after Peruvian justice ordered the location of Torres-Navarro and Ubillus and their international arrest in early July.

The current state of the southern border is already a controversial issue in this year's election, and the capture of Torres-Navarro has added fuel to the fire.

Now Republican Representative for the 19th Congressional District, Marc Molinaro, has spoken out and called for action at the southern border.

“It was and is these actions that ultimately upended national security, abandoned the southern border and endangered communities across the country, including ours,” Molinaro said.

Torres-Navarro and Ubillus had been living in the village of Endicott for three months since crossing the border. Endicott residents said they were in shock.

“I don't feel safe at all,” said resident Malcolm Handy. “I hope and pray they take the proper precautions to protect us in Binghamton.”

Molinaro's opponent in the race for the 19th Congressional District, Democrat Josh Riley, expressed similar views to Molinaro regarding the border.

“Someone with that kind of criminal background, that kind of violent history, should never have been allowed into our country,” Riley said. “We have to secure the border. He should have been arrested at the border and never set foot in this country.”

No confirmed course of action is set for Torres-Navarro and Ubillus.

This is an evolving story.

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