The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on February 6, accusing his new executive order of shielding criminal illegal aliens from federal custody and putting public safety at risk.
In an official press release, DHS said that since January 20, New York state’s refusal to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers has resulted in the release of “nearly 7,000 criminal illegal aliens,” including individuals convicted of violent crimes.
“There are currently 7,113 criminal illegal aliens in the custody of a New York jurisdiction with an active detainer,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement. “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.”
DHS described ICE partnerships with local law enforcement as essential to removing individuals with criminal convictions from the country. The department noted that seven of the 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE.
“Mamdani will make New Yorkers less safe as a direct result of this policy,” McLaughlin said. “Secretary Noem and ICE leadership are urgently calling on Mamdani to agree to release criminals in New York City’s custody to ICE before they are released.”
The DHS release also listed examples of recent ICE arrests in New York City involving individuals the department identified as criminal illegal aliens. According to DHS, those cases included people convicted of sexual assault, homicide, kidnapping, assault, and other offenses.
Mamdani’s executive order limits city cooperation with federal immigration authorities, reinforcing New York City’s sanctuary policies. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the mayor has faced criticism in recent weeks over other early challenges in office.
Federal officials argue that restricting cooperation forces ICE agents to conduct more direct enforcement operations in communities rather than assuming custody of individuals already in local jails.
“When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with DHS, our law enforcement officers have to have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities,” McLaughlin said.
The dispute marks the latest flashpoint in the broader national debate over sanctuary jurisdictions, ICE detainers, and the role of local law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement.