A Honduran national accused of threatening to blow up a United Airlines flight and attempting to force his way into the cockpit had previously been deported from the United States twice before receiving asylum in 2020, according to reports. He fast-tracked his way into the USA by claiming to be trans, an exclusive report from the Daily Wire has revealed.
Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, who allegedly caused a security emergency aboard a flight bound for New Orleans, was arrested Monday night after authorities safely evacuated the aircraft.
United Flight 2174 was traveling from Newark to New Orleans with 46 passengers and six crew members when Gomez-Alberto allegedly announced that he possessed a bomb and attempted to gain access to the cockpit.
Flight attendants managed to persuade him to retreat from the cockpit area before restraining him toward the rear of the aircraft. The plane subsequently landed safely in New Orleans, where law enforcement officers were waiting.
Air traffic control recordings reviewed by the New York Post provided additional details about the suspect’s behavior before the confrontation.
“He changed into all black before he started trying to reach the cockpit,” an individual communicating with air traffic control reportedly stated.
After landing, passengers were escorted off the aircraft while the pilots remained secured inside the cockpit. Gomez-Alberto allegedly refused to immediately surrender and attempted to negotiate with responding officers before being taken into custody.
Authorities booked him into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on charges of terrorizing and communicating false information concerning planned arson.
The incident has also drawn attention to Gomez-Alberto’s immigration history, including multiple illegal entries into the United States and a subsequent asylum claim involving his reported gender identity.
According to Fox News, Border Patrol agents first encountered Gomez-Alberto in September 2011 after he crossed illegally into Texas near El Indio. He was deported following that apprehension.
Three years later, in October 2014, authorities detained him again after he entered the country illegally near Columbus, New Mexico. He was subsequently removed from the United States a second time.
Despite those earlier deportations, Gomez-Alberto returned in 2019, presenting himself at the San Ysidro port of entry in California and seeking protection from removal.
A law enforcement source told the Daily Wire that Gomez-Alberto claimed to be transgender and argued that his gender identity placed him at risk of persecution if returned to Honduras.
He was permitted to pursue his case before an immigration judge and reportedly received asylum in 2020 based on his stated fears of persecution.
The report also indicated that Gomez-Alberto had disclosed to federal authorities that he was HIV-positive and used marijuana.
Following Monday’s incident, Immigration and Customs Enforcement moved to place an immigration hold on Gomez-Alberto.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Wire that ICE lodged a detainer with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office on November 10, 2026.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are NOT welcome in the United States,” the spokesperson said.
The arrest comes amid continued scrutiny of immigration enforcement and asylum procedures, particularly in cases involving individuals with previous deportation histories.
