Another horrific crime tied to America’s failed border policies has claimed an innocent life in New York.
Authorities say an illegal alien from Guatemala who entered the United States during the Obama administration brutally murdered a New York City-area taxi driver over a fare dispute, then dumped the victim’s body into a reservoir that feeds New York City’s water system.
The victim, Aurelio Zhunio-Orbez, a 56-year-old cab driver originally from Ecuador who came here to the US legally, was discovered last weekend in the Croton Falls Reservoir in Putnam County after a fisherman spotted his body.
Zhunio-Orbez had been reported missing on December 1 after failing to return to his taxi base. The Brewster train station was among his final stops.
Investigators say the suspect, Santos Paulino Vazquez-Ramirez, strangled Zhunio-Orbez in a chokehold after being picked up at the Brewster Metro-North station.
The trip to Pawling typically costs around $40. Coworkers said the two had crossed paths before and may have clashed over a prior fare.
After killing the father of four inside his black Toyota Sienna, Vazquez-Ramirez allegedly dragged the body into nearby woods, dumped it into the reservoir, stole the cab, and abandoned it days later near the Purdy’s train station.
Putnam County Sheriff Brian Hess confirmed that the suspect, Santos Paulino Vazquez-Ramirez, confessed to the killing.
Police arrested the 27-year-old suspect night after tracking him through video surveillance to his home in Pawling. He now faces murder and robbery charges and is being held at the Putnam County Correctional Facility.
According to the New York Post, Vazquez-Ramirez illegally crossed the southern border in 2013 at Hidalgo, Texas, under President Barack Obama.
Despite receiving a final order of removal in 2016 during President Trump’s first term, he ignored the order and remained in the country.
Smirking suspect in brutal murder of cabbie dumped in NYC reservoir is illegal migrant: feds https://t.co/380r8e2pyp pic.twitter.com/4sYro5edUj
— New York Post (@nypost) December 20, 2025
Assistant Secretary of DHS Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to The Post:
He “should’ve never been in our country in the first place and provided the opportunity to gruesomely take the life of Aurelio Zhunio-Orbez.
“Open border policies have deadly consequences. ICE lodged a detainer with local authorities to ensure this criminal illegal alien is never allowed back into American neighborhoods. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is targeting the worst of the worst.
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