DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has publicly accused New York’s Democratic leadership of ignoring nearly 16,000 ICE detainer requests tied to tens of thousands of criminal charges.
Mullin, 47, told The Post that state and local agencies across New York have refused to comply with 16,070 detainer requests since President Trump returned to office fewer than two years ago. The rejected requests cover migrants suspected or convicted of crimes ranging from homicide and kidnapping to sexual assault and weapons violations.
“While sanctuary politicians continue to release dangerous criminals onto their streets, our brave law enforcement officers will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals and make America safe again. Illegal aliens have no sanctuary in America,” Mullin said in his statement to The Post.
The DHS chief directed sharp criticism at two of the state’s most prominent Democrats. “We enforce these laws with no help from Mayor [Zohran] Mamdani and Governor [Kathy] Hochul,” he added. “The Trump Administration is committed to protecting the American people in every city and every state, and we won’t let sanctuary politicians stand in our way.”
ICE detainers are formal requests asking state and local law enforcement to hold a suspected illegal migrant for up to 48 hours so federal agents can assume custody. Albany’s approach lets local governments set their own cooperation policies, which the Trump administration has cited in labeling New York a “Sanctuary State.”
The criminal tally attached to the rejected detainers is extensive. According to DHS data, the 52,503 charges or convictions include 131 homicides, 132 kidnappings, 1,017 sexual offenses, 1,561 DUI counts, 1,631 burglaries, 1,776 robberies, 2,198 weapons infractions, 9,502 assaults, and 4,324 drug-related counts.
Governor Hochul’s office pushed back forcefully against the administration’s framing. “Governor Hochul has been clear: New York State is not and never will be a sanctuary for violent criminals,” spokeswoman Alexia Nizhny told The Post in a statement.
Nizhny continued: “By law, New York State always notifies federal immigration enforcement of any non-citizen serving a State prison sentence. Any assertion otherwise is a blatant mischaracterization of the facts meant to distract from the cruelty and violence we saw from Secretary Mullin’s ICE agents earlier this week.”
The governor’s office noted that approximately 2,000 individuals held in state facilities have been transferred to federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
The dueling statements come amid heightened friction between federal immigration authorities and New York leadership. Last week, ICE agents shot Oscar Belgal in the Bronx during what the agency described as a dangerous confrontation. Belgal’s 5-year-old child was in the back seat during the incident. ICE officials said Belgal refused orders to exit his vehicle, struck two government cars, and accelerated toward agents before being shot in the neck. He is now in federal custody.
Hochul herself had signed the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act in August, legislation that restricts certain types of statewide cooperation with ICE on civil immigration matters. That law represents the latest in a series of state-level measures that have drawn sustained criticism from the Trump administration’s homeland security team.