Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested an undocumented individual accused of serious offenses, including rape and strangulation, shortly after a judge in New York City released him on drug-related charges.
On Monday, ICE announced the apprehension of Gerardo Miguel Mora, a Mexican national, in New York City. Prior to this, Mora had been arrested on charges related to theft and possession of stolen items.
Last week, Brooklyn Judge Sheridan Jack Brown (D) authorized Mora’s release despite a request from ICE to keep him detained, citing public safety concerns.
Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security criticized the moves made by Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani, claiming they are releasing threats to public safety from prisons back onto the streets, leading to more crime and victims.
Mora’s criminal activities in the U.S. date back over ten years. In 2011, he faced multiple arrests in New York City for rape, strangulation, assault, forcible touching, robbery, and disorderly conduct.
The following year, he was convicted of robbery by the New York State Supreme Court and received a sentence of 3.5 years in prison, followed by a decade of supervised release. However, he only spent a few months in prison before being deported back to Mexico.
At some point after that, Mora re-entered the U.S. illegally. ICE has recorded his latest criminal charges since that time.
On April 30, 2023, the New York City Police Department arrested Mora on charges of forgery and grand theft.
He was arrested again on May 23, 2024, for grand larceny and criminal possession of a controlled substance, but the NYPD released him the next day before any immigration hold could be placed.
Mora was re-arrested on August 16, 2024, for theft and possession of stolen property, only to be released again shortly after.
On March 25, 2025, a criminal warrant was issued against him by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for unlawful re-entry.
On January 7, the NYPD once more apprehended Mora, charging him with possession of a controlled substance, prompting ICE to file an immigration complaint against him later that day.
McLaughlin is urging Governor Hochul to collaborate with ICE to transfer criminal illegal aliens from New York’s incarceration facilities to federal detention centers.
“We need local law enforcement’s cooperation to remove violent criminals from our communities,” she noted, mentioning that seven of the ten safest cities in America work with ICE. She reiterated the call for Governor Hochul to hand over more than 7,000 violent offenders currently in New York custody to ICE.
