New York state has released nearly 7,000 undocumented immigrants from local jails despite Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests, according to new data cited by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., discussed the developments during an appearance on Fox News with host Kayleigh McEnany on Saturday. Tenney also said New York Attorney General Letitia James is aware of the releases, alleging that James has pursued investigations into local sheriffs who cooperated with ICE.
According to the New York Post, the attorney general’s office has opened criminal inquiries into Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton and the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office over alleged misconduct related to cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
“This is incomprehensible to me, people who immigration authorities want just let out in the streets of New York?” McEnany, who served as one of President Donald Trump’s press secretaries during his first term, said during the segment.
“Yeah, this is a sanctuary state, as you know, still is a sanctuary state run by the Democrats completely. Even the governor faces a veto proof majority in the legislature, and now we’re going to end up having, you know, a pro-sanctuary Mayor coming in the first of January,” Tenney said.
“But yeah, there are thousands, almost 7,000 people with these advanced criminal records like, you know, murder, you said, homicide, rape, extortion, you name it, just about every crime— child, sex crimes that are led into our state every single year, at least this last year,” she continued.
“And this is all done, and Letitia James, our Attorney General, was alerted. She doesn’t care. She even goes after and is trying to prosecute any of the local governments who want to cooperate with what is called the 287(g) program. That program allows local police to coordinate with ICE if we have dangerous criminal aliens within the confines of a county or a city,” the GOP lawmaker added.
“She is interfering with that. She’s actually prosecuting my home Sheriff for actually cooperating. And my district in upstate New York, New York 24, my entire northern border is the Canadian border, and we have had almost 90% of the people on the foreign terror watch list under Joe Biden were coming in across the northern border,” the lawmaker continued.
“So, it’s a very dangerous place and a very easy place for safe haven, especially with a sanctuary state like New York,” Tenney added.
Meanwhile, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons has sent a letter to James urging the state to honor ICE detainer requests for the thousands of illegal aliens in state and local custody.
According to ICE, New York’s refusal to comply with detainers has led to the release of 6,947 individuals since Jan. 20. The agency says the offenses associated with those released include 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 199 burglaries, 305 robberies, 392 drug-related crimes, 300 weapons offenses, and 207 sexual predatory offenses.
“There are currently 7,113 aliens in the custody of a New York jurisdiction with an active detainer. The crimes of these aliens include 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 134 burglaries, 106 robberies, 235 dangerous drugs offenses, 152 weapons offenses, and 260 sexual predatory offenses,” says a Department of Homeland Security press release.
“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,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
“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,” McLaughlin added.
