New York Ignored 16,000 ICE Detainer Requests for Migrants Accused of Over 52,000 Crimes

New York municipalities have refused to comply with 16,070 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests from the Trump administration, according to data released by the Department of Homeland Security. These requests involved migrants accused or convicted of more than 52,503 criminal charges.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticized New York's sanctuary policies, 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. Illegal aliens have no sanctuary in America."

ICE detainers are requests made to state and local law enforcement agencies, asking them to hold an individual suspected of being an illegal migrant for up to 48 hours. This allows federal authorities time to take the individual into custody.

The data indicates that the crimes attributed to these individuals range from murder and kidnapping to sexual offenses, driving under the influence, burglary, robbery, weapons infractions, assaults, and drug-related offenses. Specifically, the charges include 131 homicides, 132 kidnappings, 1,017 sexual offenses, 1,561 DUIs, 1,631 burglaries, 1,776 robberies, and 2,198 weapons infractions.

Mullin added, "We enforce these laws with no help from Mayor [Zohran] Mamdani and Governor [Kathy] Hochul." He further stated, "The Trump Administration is committed to protecting the American people in every city and every state, and we won’t let sanctuary politicians stand in our way."

Governor Kathy Hochul's office responded, with spokeswoman Alexia Nizhny stating, "Governor Hochul has been clear: New York State is not and never will be a sanctuary for violent criminals."

"By law, New York State always notifies federal immigration enforcement of any non-citizen serving a State prison sentence," Nizhny said. "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."

In August, Governor Hochul signed the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which introduced restrictions on certain types of statewide cooperation with ICE on civil immigration matters. The Trump administration has referred to New York as a "Sanctuary State" due to its policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

The DHS data emerged amid heightened tensions between federal authorities and New York, following an incident last week where ICE agents shot Oscar Belgal in the Bronx. ICE agents stated that Belgal accelerated his SUV towards them after refusing to exit the vehicle and colliding with two government cars. Belgal, who had his child in the car at the time, sustained a neck injury and is in federal custody. The governor's office noted that an estimated 2,000 individuals in New York state facilities have been turned over to federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.