U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has accused New York state of releasing 6,947 undocumented immigrant criminals since 20/1, the day President Donald Trump took office. These individuals are reportedly accused of a range of serious crimes, including 29 murders, 2,509 assaults, 392 drug offenses, 305 robberies, 300 weapons offenses, and 207 sexual abuse offenses.
Todd Lyons, Director of ICE, sent a letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James on 1/12, urging the state to honor ICE detainer requests for thousands of undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes. Lyons stated, "These are individuals who are not only illegally present, but have also committed many additional crimes, including serious offenses like murder, rape, possession of child pornography, and armed robbery." He called on New York to transfer these individuals to ICE for deportation.
ICE also reported that 7,113 undocumented immigrant criminals are currently detained in New York jails with active arrest warrants. These individuals face accusations of murder, assault, sexual abuse, and robbery.
Some immigrant criminals arrested by ICE after being released by New York authorities. _NY Post_ |
Among the nearly 7,000 immigrant criminals released since 20/1, many were freed after local officials refused to honor federal detainer requests. New York state government has not responded to Lyons' letter.
New York's sanctuary city policies limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration officials in immigrant enforcement operations. Under these policies, New York police are only permitted to provide information or assist ICE in a few specific circumstances. The primary goal of this approach is to encourage undocumented immigrants to cooperate with police without fear of deportation. However, this "sanctuary" policy is controversial, as critics argue it can lead to situations where suspected immigrant criminals are released back into communities rather than being transferred to ICE for immigration proceedings.
One notable case involves Jesus Romero Hernandez, a 27-year-old Mexican national. Hernandez had been previously deported from the U.S. seven times but was released from Tomkins County Jail in January after serving 179 days for assaulting a police officer with a machete. ICE accused the Tomkins County Sheriff's Office of refusing to honor a federal detainer request and releasing Hernandez. ICE subsequently re-arrested him on 5/11 and deported him for the eighth time.
