One suspect in the fatal shooting of a border patrol agent on Monday near the U.S. northern border was a German citizen with an expired H1-B visa, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the incident and an internal report reviewed by Just the News. 

The suspect, who fired on two U.S. Border Patrol agents during a vehicle stop in Newport, Vermont, is identified in the incident report as Felix Bauckholt, a German citizen who overstayed an H1-B visa and was thus illegally residing in the country. 

The agents were conducting a routine roving patrol when they stopped Bauckholt and a female in the town close to the border. During a records check, the unidentified female occupant was removed from the vehicle for further questioning, broke free, and began shooting at the agents, the incident report shows. 

After the female suspect was hit by return fire, Bauckholt emerged from the vehicle and also began firing on the agents. He sustained gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead. 

One of the U.S. agents was severely injured and was transported to the hospital where he later died. According to the incident report, the female shooter survived the encounter and is recovering from her injuries. 

Bauckholt’s H1-B visa was originally issued in 2022 but is expired a law enforcement official with knowledge of the incident told Just the News. He filed to change his status to an F1 student visa in 2024, but appears to have been unsuccessful.

The shooting occurred on the same day President Donald Trump was inaugurated in Washington, D.C. after promising tougher immigration enforcement on the campaign trail. 

In particular, the H1-B visa, which allows employers to hire nonimmigrant aliens for specialty occupations, has been a source of contention among Trump’s inner circle amid allegations the program is being abused and undercutting American workers.