>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
One such case is Vyacheslav Danilovich Kim, who sought to meet a 13-year-old girl. Convicted in Albany County, he was given time served, but probation officials refused to assist ICE in detaining him. He was eventually rearrested and deported.
Another dangerous release involved 25-year-old Steven Daniel Henriquez Galicia, charged with attempted murder after allegedly firing at bystanders in the Bronx. Despite prosecutors pushing for a $300,000 bond, a judge allowed him to remain free on cashless bail. ICE later rearrested him.
Honduran national Anderson Smith Satuye Martinez, 21, an alleged Crips gang member with prior assault convictions, was also freed despite multiple weapons and drug charges. Weeks later, ICE secured his detention.
Perhaps the most extreme case is Jesus Romero Hernandez, a Mexican national deported eight times. Tompkins County released him in January despite a federal detainer and warrant, after he had attacked an Ithaca police officer with a machete. ICE removed him again on November 5.
ICE now insists that 7,113 convicted illegal migrants in New York jails should be turned over to federal custody. Lyons emphasized the danger these individuals pose: “These are people who are not only in the country illegally, but who have committed additional crimes, including heinous crimes like murder, rape, possession of child pornography, armed robbery, and many others.”
DHS documents obtained by The Post show that 6,947 migrants with active detainers were released since January 20, with local agencies ignoring federal warrants under sanctuary rules. These laws allow officials to decline cooperation even when dealing with gang members, child molesters, and repeat felons.
The roots of New York’s sanctuary stance go back to a 2017 executive order signed by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, barring state officers from using “resources, equipment, or personnel” to aid immigration enforcement. Gov. Kathy Hochul has claimed the state will cooperate only in limited cases involving federal crimes or gang activity. New York City enforces stricter rules, requiring either terrorist watch-list status or a violent crime conviction with a judicial warrant before working with ICE.
Since Hochul assumed office, the state Department of Correction and Community Supervision has handed roughly 1,300 offenders over to ICE after local sentences ended. AG James previously defended the practice, stating that “various jurisdictions operate under a range of lawful practices we cannot address in our capacity as the Attorney General.”
The DHS letter sent Monday warned of repeated releases: “Please confirm whether the State of New York plans to honor detainers on these aliens or whether each of these barbarians will someday walk the streets of New York again.”
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the sanctuary policies in stark terms. “Attorney General James and her fellow New York Sanctuary politicians are releasing murderers, terrorists, and sexual predators back into our neighborhoods and putting American lives at risk. We are calling on Letitia James to stop this dangerous derangement and commit to honoring the ICE arrest detainers of the more than 7,000 criminal illegal aliens in New York’s custody. It is common sense. Criminal illegal aliens should not be released back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans.”
