Sen. Blackburn: Tennessee Murder Suspect Released in U.S. with CBP One App Arrested in Texas

A Cuban national wanted in connection to a recent Tennessee murder was arrested in La Pryor, Texas, on Monday. The migrant entered the United States using the controversial CBP-One smartphone application, according to Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R).

Shortly after the arrest of Dayren Roque Lopez, Senator Blackburn issued a statement on social media saying, “An illegal who entered the U.S. through the Biden-Harris CBP One app last year is the suspect in the murder of a young woman in Tennessee. This administration is welcoming violent criminals into our nation. The blood of the victims is on Joe and Kamal’s hands.”

A lookout for the suspect was placed by Cleveland, Tennessee, authorities shortly after the body of a woman who had been reported missing was discovered inside a home on North Crest Circle in the city. Law enforcement authorities found the body of 25-year-old Dayana Garcia deceased inside the house but did not release any information concerning her manner of death, according to ABC News Channel 9 . Shortly after the discovery, authorities named Dayren Roque Lopez, a Cuban national, as the sole suspect in what is believed to be a domestic violence murder.

Shortly after the discovery of Garcia’s body, Sheriff’s deputies patrolling near the U.S./Mexico border in Zavala County, Texas spotted the suspect’s Toyota Corolla entering the small city of La Pryor more than 1,100 miles from Cleveland, Tennessee. The deputy recognized the vehicle from a previous lookout and performed a vehicle stop near a department store less than 50 miles from Mexico.

Zavala County Sheriff’s Office Deputy V. Alvizo arrested Roque-Lopez without incident at approximately 6:45  on Tuesday. The deputy booked the suspect into the Zavala County Jail on homicide charges placed by Tennessee authorities. Roque-Lopez now awaits extradition to Tennessee to face murder charges, according to law enforcement authorities in Zavala County.

Breitbart Texas spoke to Zavala County Sheriff Eusevio Salinas Jr., who says he is proud of the work his deputies do each day and especially proud of Deputy Alvizo, who managed to bring in an exceptionally dangerous fugitive without injury to the public, the suspect, or himself.

“This guy was definitely headed to Mexico and wasn’t that far from reaching the border,” Sheriff Salinas explained. “The fact that our deputy managed to make the arrest without injury to anyone is a remarkable feat.”

Salinas deputies are no strangers to border enforcement activities that have increased significantly during the Biden-Harris border crisis. Covering a vast area less than fifty miles from the border on a popular route to San Antonio. The major trafficking route for smugglers has proved deadly for migrants in recent years.

In July, a suspected migrant smuggler lost his life attempting to escape from one of Salinas’ deputies after crashing the vehicle he was driving during a high-speed pursuit. The alleged smuggler fled from law enforcement authorities after being spotted in La Pryor. Several suspected migrants fled from the vehicle that crashed a short time later. The smuggler’s body was found in the brown Chevrolet pickup truck sporting Louisianna license plates after crashing into a tree.

As reported by Breitbart Texas, in another crash involving migrant smuggling, eight people, including two innocent motorists, were killed in the county in November 2023.

In that crash, a migrant smuggler and five migrants were killed after the vehicle they were using to flee from law enforcement officers collided with a vehicle carrying two innocent motorists from the state of Georgia. The two motorists from Georgia also lost their lives in that event.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.