Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., faced pushback from Republicans and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after claiming that sanctuary jurisdictions consistently turn over removable criminal immigrants to federal authorities upon completion of their sentences. During a markup of a bill concerning border security, Goldman challenged his Republican colleagues to "cite one case" where a convicted immigrant with a removable offense was not handed over to DHS after serving their time.
However, DHS statistics shared with Fox News Digital indicate that since January, New York's failure to honor ICE detainers has resulted in the release of 6,947 criminally convicted undocumented immigrants. The alleged crimes associated with these individuals include 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 199 burglaries, 305 robberies, 392 dangerous drug offenses, 300 weapons offenses, and 207 sexual predatory offenses. Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis stated that there were approximately 7,000 undocumented immigrants in New York with active detainer requests as of last winter, adding that "Sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety. This type of insanity leads to more crimes and more innocent victims."
DHS also cited at least 12 specific cases that they claim contradict Goldman's assertion. Among these were instances of undocumented immigrants arrested for violent crimes who were released by New York authorities despite ICE detainer requests. One case involved a Dominican national arrested for attempted murder who was later apprehended by ICE in September. Another instance highlighted a gang member with a prior assault conviction arrested for criminal weapons possession, who was released despite a detainer request. DHS also pointed to Selman Cevik, identified as being on the Known or Suspected Terrorist list, who was released by New York City authorities after an arrest on a menacing charge, before ICE located him.
During the markup, Goldman also critiqued the invocation of Ellis Island's historical immigration policies. He argued that at the turn of the 20th century, there were no comprehensive immigration laws or accessible databases to check criminal records, and that individuals with tuberculosis were rehabilitated before their immigration proceedings. He noted that 98% of those who passed through Ellis Island were admitted to the U.S.
Goldman's district includes the New York State portion of the Ellis Island facility. The controversy arose as House Republicans are pursuing efforts to make former President Donald Trump's border policies permanent.