Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced the detention of over 200 migrants who entered the United States illegally during an operation in the New York City area.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons stated that the operation, conducted last week, “targeted the most dangerous alien offenders in some of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods.”
ICE Arrests 206 Individuals in NYC-area Sweep
A total of 206 people were arrested, including a 22-year-old member of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, found at a building on Dekalb Avenue in the Bronx, according to law enforcement sources.
“New York is much safer today because of the hard work of ICE and our law enforcement partners,” Lyons added.
According to ICE, 121 of the 206 people apprehended have significant criminal records or are currently facing charges for crimes including murder, assault, arson, sex crimes, drug offenses, and firearms crimes.
“The majority of the aliens arrested have extensive criminal backgrounds, including manslaughter, rape, assault, drug trafficking, and sex offenses against minors,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City Acting Field Office Director Judith Almodovar.
ICE has not yet responded to CBS News New York’s inquiry regarding the criminal records of the other 85 individuals.
Mayor Eric Adams stated on Thursday that the city is not allowed to cooperate with ICE for civil enforcement. However, he expressed his support for arresting dangerous gang members.
“I don’t know why we want to romanticize dangerous gangs. They’re dangerous, and we’re going to do everything we can to collaborate with federal officials to get these gangs off our streets,” Adams said. “We had an undocumented person who raped a 14-year-old child. I’m not on his side. I’m on the side of justice, and we’re going after him.”
The arrests coincided with protests organized in New York City and nationwide as part of a “Communities Not Cages” day of action against the Trump administration’s increase in detentions and deportations.
A group gathered outside ICE’s headquarters in Foley Square voiced their displeasure with the administration, particularly in relation to the arrests of Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, two Columbia University students who had green cards and led pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.
“It’s very concerning when people get taken off the streets without due process,” said Adam Brown, a Hunter College professor. “I brought my kids here because I wanted them to see what democracy looks like.”
Homeland Security Issues Parole Termination Notices to Those Without Criminal Histories
The news of the operation comes amid reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sent Notices of Termination Parole to individuals without criminal histories who are in the U.S. illegally.
The notices state, in part: “Your parole will terminate seven days from the date of this notice… If you do not depart the United States immediately, you will be subject to potential law enforcement actions… Do not attempt to remain in the U.S.—the federal government will find you.”
Immigration attorney Michael Wildes, a former federal prosecutor, described the rhetoric as “very harsh.”
“They’re looking for gimmicks, and this whole thing is a gimmick,” he said. “If the administration continues at this pace, about 12-1,500 people a day, the president will have removed about two and a half million people. There are about 30 million people here. It’s still a drop in the bucket.”
Wildes shared that one of his clients, who is receiving cancer treatment and is married to an American, received such a notice from DHS.
“It’s very disconcerting to our clients, who were given some form of hospitality, to be told immediately that they must leave,” Wildes added.
