Police in upstate New York arrested a Cornell University student late last week after authorities said he brought a rifle and ammunition onto the campus of Syracuse University and told investigators he had contemplated using the weapon against federal immigration officers.
“Healey-Parera told police he bought the rifle to “shoot an ICE agent as a last resort if they were to come to his home in Ithaca,” according to details from a sworn police affidavit.”
The statement, now part of the court record, quickly became the most alarming element of the case. Investigators say it surfaced after campus police stopped the student near Syracuse University’s Schine Student Center, one of the busiest hubs on campus, when officers noticed him carrying what appeared to be a rifle case.
Authorities identified the student as 22-year-old Mateu Healey-Parera, a Cornell student who had traveled from Ithaca to Syracuse by bus earlier that day.
Syracuse University Department of Public Safety officers approached Healey-Parera and began asking questions about what he was carrying. Police say he initially told officers the case contained a tripod.
After further questioning, however, Healey-Parera acknowledged the case contained a rifle he had purchased earlier that day.
Police later confirmed the firearm had been purchased earlier that day at a sporting goods store in nearby Nedrow. According to investigators, Healey-Parera bought a 1905 Rock Island .30-06 rifle along with two boxes of ammunition totaling roughly forty rounds.
Bringing a firearm onto school property is illegal under New York law. Officers arrested Healey-Parera at the scene and charged him with criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds.
During a subsequent interview with police, investigators pressed him on why he had purchased the weapon. According to the officer’s affidavit, Healey-Parera initially suggested the rifle was intended for marksmanship practice and home defense.
The interviewing officer noted that the particular rifle involved is not typically considered a beginner firearm and is not commonly used for home defense, according to the affidavit summarized in local reporting.
When questioned further about his views toward law enforcement and immigration authorities, the explanation changed.
“Police records indicate Healey-Parera told investigators he feared Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents might illegally detain him or surround his residence in Ithaca, prompting him to purchase the firearm.”
Investigators also noted that Healey-Parera had recently attended a protest at Cornell University involving an arms dealer speaking on campus. According to police, he became upset by the presence of officers at the protest and later began considering purchasing a firearm.
Following the arrest, Healey-Parera was transported to the Onondaga County Justice Center jail. Court records show he later appeared before a judge and was released after posting $50,000 bail in the form of a cashier’s check.
After his release, authorities transferred him to a local hospital under New York’s mental hygiene law for evaluation, Syracuse police officials said.
His defense attorney, Jordan McNamara, argued in court that the firearm purchase itself had been legal and that many of his client’s actions that day were constitutionally protected.
“Much of what is alleged that day was protected by his Constitutional rights,” McNamara said, adding that his client “was not a threat to anyone.”
Separately, a judge approved a temporary extreme risk protection order preventing Healey-Parera from possessing or purchasing firearms while the case proceeds. A hearing to determine whether a final order will be imposed is scheduled in the state Supreme Court in Ithaca.
For years, calls to “abolish ICE” have circulated through campus protests, activist slogans, and online campaigns.
According to police, in this case, the rhetoric moved a step further. Investigators say a student purchased a rifle, bought ammunition, and told officers he viewed shooting federal immigration agents as a possible “last resort.”
That is the point where political rhetoric stops being theoretical and starts showing up in a criminal affidavit.
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