Rockland, Westchester Residents Among ICE Detainees In February

During February, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal’s (ERO) deportation officers assigned to the New York Field Office arrested more than 20 people who had an active immigration detainer but were released from local law enforcement custody. Two were in the Hudson Valley.

ICE described the two as:

• An unlawfully present Guatemalan national who was arrested by local authorities for rape. A detainer was issued to the county jail, but was not honored and he was released. On Feb. 26, ERO deportation officers arrested him in Spring Valley. He is currently detained in ICE custody pending a removal hearing before an immigration judge.
• An unlawfully present Colombian national who was arrested by local authorities for Assault 2nd: Intent to Cause Serious Physical Injury. A detainer was issued to the county jail, but was not honored due to Westchester County’s Immigrant Protection Act. He was later sentenced to a year in prison. On March 1, ERO deportation officers arrested him in Valhalla. He is currently detained in ICE custody pending a removal hearing before an immigration judge.

In the press release, ICE officials said in Fiscal Year 2018, the New York field office made more than 3,400 arrests in their area of responsibility (southernmost 14 counties of New York State) – and about 87 percent of those people either had a prior criminal conviction or had criminal charges pending, pursuant to their arrest by a law enforcement agency. "In a region with a population of approximately 8-10 million residents, these statistics clearly illustrate that ERO New York prioritizes its daily targeted enforcement efforts on criminals and public safety threats."