7,000 Criminals PROTECTED – New York Defies Feds

Times Square crowded with people and bright electronic advertisements.

New York’s sanctuary policies are shielding over 7,000 criminal illegal immigrants from deportation while state officials brazenly defy federal law and endanger American communities.

Story Snapshot

DHS demands New York turn over 7,100+ criminal illegal immigrants currently in state custody with active ICE detainers
New York already released 6,947 criminal illegals without notifying federal authorities since Trump took office
These criminals are collectively responsible for 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 260 sexual crimes, and hundreds of other violent offenses
Acting ICE Director formally demands Attorney General Letitia James comply with federal law or face consequences

Federal Showdown Over Criminal Aliens

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons delivered a scathing formal letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James demanding immediate compliance with federal immigration law. The Department of Homeland Security revealed shocking statistics showing New York released nearly 7,000 known criminal illegal immigrants since January 20, 2025, without notifying federal authorities. This blatant disregard for federal cooperation represents a direct challenge to President Trump’s immigration enforcement priorities and puts American lives at risk through sanctuary obstruction.

Staggering Criminal Records Expose Public Safety Crisis

The 7,100 criminal illegal immigrants currently held in New York custody with active ICE detainers possess horrifying criminal histories that demonstrate the deadly consequences of sanctuary policies. These individuals are collectively responsible for 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 134 burglaries, 106 robberies, 235 dangerous drug offenses, 152 weapons violations, and 260 sexual predatory crimes. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accurately characterized the situation, stating that James and fellow sanctuary politicians are “releasing murderers, terrorists, and sexual predators back into our neighborhoods.”

Sanctuary Policies Undermine Constitutional Law Enforcement

New York’s sanctuary framework, implemented in 2014, deliberately obstructs federal immigration enforcement by prohibiting cooperation with ICE detention orders except in limited circumstances. This policy violates federal statutes including 8 USC § 1373, which bars local governments from preventing officials from sharing immigration status with federal authorities. The Trump administration possesses legal tools through Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to deputize local officers as immigration agents, potentially circumventing state obstruction entirely.

Federal law clearly establishes immigration enforcement as a federal responsibility, making New York’s interference with lawful deportation orders a constitutional crisis. The state’s approach prioritizes protecting criminal illegal immigrants over cooperating with legitimate federal law enforcement, creating a dangerous precedent that undermines the rule of law and federalism principles.

Escalating Immigration Crisis Demands Immediate Action

Since spring 2022, New York City counted over 237,000 asylum-seekers using public services, with 69,000 migrants occupying city shelters on a single night by January 2024. High-profile crimes involving illegal immigrants have escalated dramatically, including the January 2024 Times Square attack on NYPD officers and discoveries of armed migrant squatters in Bronx apartments. Midtown Manhattan precincts report that up to 75 percent of recent arrestees are migrants, often charged with robbery or assault.

Lyons emphasized the common-sense nature of federal demands, writing that “virtually all Americans agree that people like this should be swiftly removed from the United States when they leave New York’s custody and not be returned to our streets to wreak havoc on law-abiding citizens.” This standoff represents a fundamental battle between protecting American communities and enabling continued illegal immigration through sanctuary obstruction.