New York City authorities have no plans to hand over to federal immigration authorities an undocumented immigrant accused of robbery and molesting a local prosecutor.
The Rikers' detention center said it would not honor Brandon Jesús Simosa Seijas' detention request, which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation. Mr. Simoza, a Venezuelan national who has been arrested by police multiple times this year, is being held at the New York Department of Corrections' Rikers Island on suspicion of assaulting Assistant District Attorney Alvin Bragg several days earlier. (Related: Another large migrant caravan heads straight for the US border)
Federal immigration authorities also confirmed that Mr. Simosa was an illegal immigrant who entered the United States under the Biden-Harris administration.
“Brandon Jesús Simosa Seijas is an illegal Venezuelan national who entered the United States without entry, inspection, or parole by an immigration officer,” an ICE spokesperson told DCNF on Monday. “U.S. Border Patrol encountered Simosa in Del Rio, Texas on October 18, 2023, issued him with a citation, and released him on his own recognizance.”
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 08: Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers gather in a parking lot before a raid to arrest an illegal immigrant with a criminal record on Thursday, September 8, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
According to a statement from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) provided to the DCNF, Simosa allegedly followed the 38-year-old female victim inside an apartment building around 2 a.m. on Nov. 17 and demanded cash. be done. Simosa then allegedly stole the woman's bank card and cell phone, performed an “obscene act” in front of her, and then fled the scene.
The NYPD confirmed that Simosa was ultimately arrested and charged on Tuesday following an investigation into the incident.
The victim was reportedly an assistant prosecutor under Mr. Bragg. According to Daily Mail. After allegedly robbing the woman, Simosa “began masturbating toward the victim for several minutes,” an assistant district attorney said during a court hearing.
Mr. Bragg's office — been accused for a long time The DCNF did not respond to multiple requests for comment about its lenient treatment of criminal illegal immigrants.
The 25-year-old undocumented immigrant was charged with sexually motivated burglary and robbery, grand larceny, possession of stolen property, petit larceny and possession of a controlled substance, the NYPD confirmed to DCNF. Local police also confirmed that he was a homeless man with no listed address.
The incident with Assistant Attorney General Bragg is not Mr. Simosa's first run-in with local police, nor is it the first time the NYPD has chosen to release him instead of turning him over to ICE.
“The NYPD arrested Simosa five more times in 2024, but Simosa was released on his own recognizance before ERO New York City filed for immigration detention,” an ICE spokesperson told DCNF. Some media reports have suggested that Mr. Simoza has ties to Mr. Torren de Aragua, but federal immigration authorities said on Monday that it was not yet clear whether Mr. Simosa was a member of a criminal organization based in Venezuela. He said he had not confirmed it.
Despite growing calls from local law enforcement, lawmakers and even New York City Mayor Eric Adams to amend the city's sanctuary law to allow for greater cooperation with federal immigration authorities. , ICE's statement marks the latest clash between the agency and New York City authorities.
“I think the previous administration made a big mistake,” Adams said in July, referring to the sanctuary policy enacted by former Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I think we need to fix that aspect.”
“New Yorkers have the right to feel safe in their city,” Adams continued. “Just like when someone breaks the law or commits an act of violence against New Yorkers, I'm going to voice my concerns about that.”
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