El Paso man gets prison in armed harassment of migrants 'for America' outside church

An El Paso man has been sentenced to two years in state prison after pleading guilty to pointing a gun at migrants trying to stay warm outside Sacred Heart Catholic Church two years ago, court records stated.

Steven Mathew Driscoll was accused of pointing a gun at Venezuelan migrants and "was heard making a comment that 'he was doing it for America'" before driving away, according to a federal criminal complaint. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported.

Driscoll's attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

Immigration: Mexico's migrant busing operation makes US border harder to reach

The armed harassment took place on the night of New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 2022, while hundreds of men, women and children were taking shelter inside and on the sidewalks surrounding the more than 130-year-old historic church in the Segundo Barrio.

Driscoll pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful carrying of a weapon by a felon on April 26 before 384th District Court Judge Patrick M. Garcia, according to court records.

Two additional counts of aggravated assault and a felony charge of evading arrest in a vehicle were dismissed, records showed.

More: Tren de Aragua: Venezuelan gang raises concerns on El Paso, Juárez border

Driscoll was sentenced to two years in prison and given credit for more than 15 months (478 days) spent in jail awaiting trial. He remains incarcerated at the El Paso County Jail Annex.

Driscoll is a convicted felon who did time in the Texas prison system in 2018 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault-family violence, stated a criminal complaint filed by an FBI agent on a federal charge of a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the migrant case.

There doesn't appear to be any movement in court filings in the federal case since Driscoll's arrest.

In the year since the gun incident, the number of refugees seeking political asylum staying at Sacred Heart Catholic Church has risen and fallen as the continuing waves of migrants arrive at the El Paso border.

'He looked at my crucifix ... said 'I don't have a problem with you''

On the New Year's Eve night of Dec. 31, 2022, Driscoll was driving a pickup truck when he pulled up and acted aggressively toward migrants and pointed a gun at some of them outside the church, El Paso police officials said.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m., police responded to a 911 call about a driver with a gun harassing migrants, but officers were unable to find the truck in a search of the area, police said.

A witness told CNN that she was on-site volunteering to assist migrants when she stepped in to de-escalate the situation as the driver placed the gun on the passenger seat.

"He looked at my crucifix, and he looked at me and he said, 'I don’t have a problem with you.' He said, 'I'm eyes for America, and I’m here to see,'" the woman told CNN, recalling the encounter.

At 12:37 a.m. on Jan. 1, a second 911 call reported that the man was spotted driving near a migrant encampment along the sidewalks of Union Plaza near the Greyhound bus station, a few blocks away from the church, officials said.

Soon, police pulled over a silver 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and asked the driver to exit. The man got out of the truck, jumped back in and drove off. The patrol car had a mechanical problem and was unable to give chase, police said in a statement.

FBI: Rifle, bullets found in Driscoll's truck

The truck, which had a New Mexico license plate, was tracked down to a relative of Driscoll. When police showed up at the home, officers saw a rifle in plain view inside the truck parked on the street, stated the federal complaint.

Immigration: As SB 4 remains in legal limbo, El Pasoans send message to migrants: 'Do not be afraid'

Driscoll told investigators that his uncle gave him the truck for work and allegedly admitted owning the .22-caliber rifle that he purchased at a gun show, the FBI complaint stated. He also allegedly admitted to fleeing from police because he had the rifle in his truck.

In the truck's passenger compartment, investigators found a dozen 9 mm bullet casings, three 9 mm bullets and a casing of unknown caliber, the document stated.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso man gets prison in migrants gun case at Sacred Heart church