Trump to Criticize Hochul Over Sanctuary Status at Syracuse Rally

President Trump is set to criticize New York Governor Kathy Hochul regarding the state’s “sanctuary” designation during a rally with GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman in Syracuse on Friday. This comes in the wake of two violent incidents that have sparked outrage across the immigration spectrum.

Recently, two undocumented immigrants with criminal records allegedly stabbed an off-duty NYPD detective in the Bronx while attempting to rob him. The suspects, 25-year-old D’Angelo Caraballo and 24-year-old Sneider Mejia Bautista, both from the Dominican Republic, were captured early Wednesday after trying to hide in a basement in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Previously, Caraballo had faced charges for reckless driving, evading an officer, and possessing a loaded firearm, among others. He was released after a December 2024 arrest.

Bautista, on the other hand, had been arrested in October of last year for grand larceny and other offenses, but was freed after the NYPD decided not to enforce an ICE detainer.

On Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers shot and injured Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old suspected gang member, while his presumed 5-year-old son remained in the back of his SUV in Marble Hill, Bronx.

The Department of Homeland Security claimed that Belgal has ties to the infamous Trinitarios gang and boasts a criminal history including grand larceny and numerous arrests for assault and weapon possession.

“This criminal illegal alien was apprehended by the NYPD on December 7, 2023, but Democrat sanctuary policies allowed him to be released back into the community shortly after, endangering American lives,” Trump is expected to state.

In August, Hochul endorsed the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which limits cooperation with ICE on civil immigration issues.

Following the shooting incident involving Belgal, Hochul remarked that New Yorkers are furious and immigrant communities feel unsafe. She mentioned a conversation with Trump and DHS Secretary Mullin about the situation, calling for a halt to ICE operations in New York and requesting that any body camera footage from the incident be made public for clarity.

Challenger Bruce Blakeman, who remains an underdog in most polls, promised to sign an executive order ensuring local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE if he wins on November 3.

“The insanity is over—it’s time to prioritize New Yorkers,” said Blakeman, reflecting on the tough decision he made to withdraw police cooperation with ICE due to Hochul’s policies.

Syracuse and the surrounding Onondaga County present a Democratic stronghold in otherwise Republican-dominated central New York. Alongside Blakeman, Trump hopes that Friday’s rally will also support Republican House candidate Kailee Buller, who is challenging first-term Democrat John Mannion.

In preparation for the rally, the Trump administration spotlighted several cases of undocumented individuals arrested in Syracuse for violent crimes, including accusations of sexual exploitation of a minor and assault.