An 18-year-old suspect involved in a deadly armed robbery in New Orleans East is facing possible deportation, as detailed in reports by Fox 8 and other local sources. Teony Umanzor-Juarez, alleged to have carried out the attempted robbery, is a Honduran national who was processed as an unaccompanied minor by U.S. Border Patrol near Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 14, 2023, according to WDSU. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has since placed a detainer on Umanzor-Juarez, which is a request to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office to be notified prior to his release, buying Immigration and Customs Enforcement an additional 48 hours to take him into custody.
Police reports state that Umanzor-Juarez, along with a 16-year-old accomplice Cecil Batiz, entered Sam’s Meat Market in New Orleans masked and armed with guns. After robbing the store and taking multiple cell phones, a store manager, responding to the holdup, opened fire on the suspects, fatally injuring Batiz and wounding Umanzor-Juarez, as seen in the surveillance footage provided by Infowars. While trying to recover, Batiz succumbed to his wounds, and Umanzor-Juarez was later apprehended and slapped with multiple felony charges.
Currently held on a $170,000 bond, Umanzor-Juarez faces counts that include armed robbery and illegal use of a weapon. In an earlier unrelated incident, Umanzor-Juarez had a brush with law enforcement when the New Orleans Police Department arrested him for criminal possession of a weapon on September 21, 2024, which Fox 8 reported is a case that remains pending. It is noted that his criminal record spans multiple states and is now involved in the judiciary procedure.
The New Orleans Police Department has encouraged anyone with additional information about the event to come forward, highlighting channels such as Crimestoppers for anonymous tips, as stated by WDSU. Although Umanzor-Juarez could face a considerable amount of time in prison, Marion Floyd, who has experience with immigration cases, anticipates that the outcome of the criminal case could not alter the likelihood of deportation. "The facts as I see them are quite egregious, and I cannot fathom a circumstance that he will not be deported at the end of the case," Floyd told Fox 8. However, he did mention that deportation processes tend to be protracted affairs.
The case has attracted considerable attention due to the intersection of violent crime and immigration policy. As authorities continue to process the legal ramifications for Umanzor-Juarez, Immigration and Customs Enforcement remains positioned to execute their role in the aftermath of what the Orleans Parish judicial proceedings ultimately decide. Meanwhile, those involved in the store at the time of the attempted robbery are declining interviews, instead choosing to focus on recovery and moving past the incident, as they told Fox 8.
