Two Sanctuary States Release Nearly 9,000 Criminal Aliens with ICE Detainers Since January

The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has made great strides in a short time, but over a dozen states are making the effort more difficult by offering illegal aliens—even those convicted of serious crimes—sanctuary. Just two of those states, New York and Illinois, have released nearly 9,000 criminal aliens from jails and prisons since January 20, defying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers to deport them. Among the offenders protected by the sanctuary policies are murderers, terrorists, sexual predators and kidnappers, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirms this month. Almost 7,000 criminal aliens flagged by ICE were released from custody in the state of New York during the roughly 10-month period examined by DHS. Illinois released more than 1,700 criminal aliens from jails and prisons throughout the state rather than turn them over to federal authorities for removal. The failure to honor ICE detainers has led to “numerous illegal alien murderers, rapists, and pedophiles being released” back into sanctuary communities, Homeland Security officials have established.

In New York the crimes committed by illegal aliens released since the end of January include 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 199 burglaries, 305 robberies, 392 dangerous drugs offenses, 300 weapons offenses, and 207 sexual predatory offenses. Among those freed is a Turkish Known or Suspected Terrorist (KST) named Selman Cevik who was let go after being jailed for first degree menacing and harassment, a rapist, Huseyin Aslan, also charged with assault and criminal contempt, and two gang members with convictions or charges for assault, criminal possession of a weapon and robbery. The list is extensive and, alarmingly, the released criminal aliens have been replaced with new ones, according to DHS, which reveals that currently there are 7,113 criminal aliens in custody in New York jails with an active ICE detainer. Their crimes include 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 134 burglaries, 106 robberies, 235 dangerous drugs offenses, 152 weapons offenses, and 260 sexual predatory offenses. New York Attorney General Letitia James and her fellow “sanctuary politicians are releasing murderers, terrorists, and sexual predators back into our neighborhoods and putting American lives at risk,” said DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin.

The same thing is going on in Illinois where Governor JB Pritzker’s statewide sanctuary policies have released 1,768 criminal illegal aliens since January 20 rather than turn them over to ICE for removal. The crimes of these aliens include five homicides, 141 assaults, 23 burglaries, 4 robberies, 24 dangerous drugs offenses, 15 weapons offenses, and 10 sexual predatory offenses. Among them is Mexican Victor Manuel Mendoza-Garcia convicted of three counts of aggravated kidnapping/ransom and sentenced to 18 years by a Cook County Court, Mexican Amilcar Waldo Gonzalez-Jimenez, convicted of driving under the influence, domestic battery and criminal sexual assault and Mexican Jaime Mandujano-Nunez sentenced to 17 years imprisonment after a 2012 conviction for predatory criminal sex assault of a child in Cook County. DHS reveals that there are currently 4,015 illegal immigrants in the custody of an Illinois jurisdiction with an active ICE detainer. The crimes of these aliens include 51 homicides, 1,134 assaults, 107 burglaries, 36 robberies, 275 dangerous drugs offenses, 120 weapons offenses, and 813 sexual predatory offenses. “We are calling on Governor Pritzker and his administration to stop this dangerous derangement and commit to honoring the ICE arrest detainers of the more than 4,000 criminal illegal aliens in Illinois’ custody,” said McLaughlin, pointing out that criminal illegal aliens should not be released back into our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans.

Like New York and Illinois, dozens of local governments throughout the U.S. shield illegal immigrants by offering sanctuary. Earlier this year the Department of Justice (DOJ) published a list of states, cities, and counties identified as having policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws. An analysis conducted by the Washington D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) reveals that from October 1, 2022, to February 6, 2025, more than 25,000 criminal aliens were released from jails and prisons around the country. California was by far the biggest offender, releasing more than half (13,025) of the alien criminals by declining ICE detainers, the CIS probe found.