The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has urged New York officials to honor an immigration detainer for an undocumented immigrant convicted of raping a corpse on a subway train. The agency criticized the city and state's "sanctuary" policies, asserting they hinder federal efforts to ensure public safety.
Felix Jeronimo-Rojas, 44, a Mexican national, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to raping and robbing the body of 37-year-old Jorge Gonzalez. The incident occurred on an R train in Manhattan in April 2025, according to the New York Post. Prosecutors stated Gonzalez had fallen unconscious on the train before Jeronimo-Rojas assaulted him.
DHS lodged an immigration detainer for Jeronimo-Rojas on April 30, 2025, and continues to demand that New York state and city officials detain him at the conclusion of his prison sentence. "We need cooperation from sanctuary politicians to ensure depraved criminals like this are not released into our communities," stated Lauren Bis, Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at DHS.
New York City's sanctuary policies, implemented under Mayor Eric Adams and influenced by state laws overseen by Governor Kathy Hochul, limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Hochul's administration has enacted laws that restrict local entities from honoring federal immigration detainer requests. Mayor Adams's administration, meanwhile, directs city agencies on how to manage cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
According to DHS, Jeronimo-Rojas had illegally entered the United States four times between 1998 and 1999, each time voluntarily returning to Mexico after encounters with U.S. Border Patrol. He re-entered the country for a fifth time at an unspecified date and location, the agency said.
Jeronimo-Rojas turned himself in to the NYPD approximately three weeks after the incident. He denied the rape and robbery charges, despite being identified on surveillance footage. He accepted a plea deal that includes 15 years of supervised release following his five-year prison sentence.
The victim, Jorge Gonzalez, had come to the U.S. about 20 years prior to work and support his family in Mexico, according to his wife.
DHS also reported that New York state released 6,947 undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes between January 20 and December 1 of the previous year. The agency has been vocal about its stance against sanctuary city policies, with former acting ICE Director Tom Homan frequently criticizing such measures for allegedly endangering communities and undermining federal law enforcement.