WASHINGTON — New data reveals that New York has ignored 16,000 ICE detainer orders from the Trump administration concerning illegal migrants accused or convicted of over 50,000 criminal offenses.
The Department of Homeland Security noted that municipalities in the Democratic-led state have rejected compliance with these detainer requests 16,070 times since President Trump took office again less than two years ago. This includes cases involving serious crimes like murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin expressed frustration, stating, “While sanctuary politicians continue to release dangerous criminals onto their streets, our brave law enforcement officers will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals and make America safe again.” He also emphasized that illegal aliens have no sanctuary in America.
Mullin specifically criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul, remarking, “We enforce these laws with no help from them.”
He reaffirmed the Trump administration’s dedication to safeguarding the American public across all states and cities, insisting that they would not be hindered by politicians advocating for sanctuary policies.
ICE detainers are essentially requests directed at state and local law enforcement, asking them to hold a suspected illegal migrant for up to 48 hours, allowing federal authorities time to take them into custody.
However, Albany allows local jurisdictions to set their own policies, leading to some areas, like New York City, becoming so-called “Sanctuary Cities” that do not adhere to these detainer requests.
In August, Hochul signed the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which limits certain forms of cooperation with ICE in civil immigration cases.
The Trump administration has labeled New York as a “Sanctuary State” due to its restrictive practices regarding federal immigration enforcement.
According to DHS, an alarming 52,503 criminal charges or convictions are connected to the ICE detainers that New York municipalities have dismissed since Trump’s re-election. These crimes include 131 homicides, 132 kidnappings, over 1,000 sexual offenses, and numerous incidents of drunk driving, burglaries, robberies, and weapons violations, among others.
Additionally, the data revealed 9,502 assault charges and 4,324 drug-related offenses attributed to the illegal migrants involved.
In response to the DHS’s allegations, Hochul’s spokeswoman, Alexia Nizhny, asserted, “Governor Hochul has been clear: New York State is not and never will be a sanctuary for violent criminals.” She stated that the state complies with notifying federal immigration enforcement about non-citizens serving prison sentences.
Nizhny added, “Any assertion otherwise is a blatant mischaracterization of the facts meant to distract from the cruelty and violence we saw from Secretary Mullin’s ICE agents earlier this week.”
The governor’s office indicated that approximately 2,000 individuals in New York state facilities have been handed over to federal immigration enforcement during the Trump administration.
Tensions heightened between the Trump administration and New York recently after an incident where ICE agents shot Oscar Belgal in the Bronx, following allegations that he drove his SUV dangerously close to them.
At the time of the confrontation, Belgal’s 5-year-old child was in the back seat. According to ICE, Belgal did not follow orders to exit his vehicle, instead colliding with two government cars before allegedly accelerating towards the agents.
Belgal sustained a neck injury and is currently in federal custody.
