ICE says New York has repeatedly freed migrants with serious criminal records despite federal requests to hold them.
The Department of Homeland Security detailed 11 cases in which migrants accused or convicted of violent crimes were released by state or local authorities after ICE lodged detainers. Among them is Roman Ceron Amatitla, 38, a Mexican national charged with setting a March 16 fire in a Queens building where four people died, including a 3-year-old girl. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called the blaze an “act of mass murder.”
Amatitla faces eight counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson. He is being held without bail and could receive up to 25 years in prison if convicted. DHS claims that New York City Department of Correction officials refused an April request to cooperate with ICE if and when he is released.
Federal officials say the pattern extends well beyond a single case. Over a recent period, New York authorities rejected more than 16,000 ICE detainers involving migrants accused or convicted of more than 52,000 crimes, including homicide, kidnapping and sex offenses.
The other 10 cases ICE highlighted involve migrants from Venezuela, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador and St. Lucia who were arrested on charges ranging from assault and robbery to burglary and weapons offenses. Several had prior convictions before their most recent arrests.
Reivert Jose Urbina-Moreno, a Venezuelan national, was arrested by NYPD in December 2024 on assault, robbery and firearm charges. He was convicted of assault but released. Felix Alva-Nava, a Mexican national, was charged with second-degree robbery causing injury in March 2025, subsequently convicted of assault, and also released despite ICE’s request.
Brandon Ayala, another Mexican national, had a previous robbery conviction when he was arrested for assault in June 2024. Merlin Jose Gonzalez Garcia, a Venezuelan, had been convicted of burglary and had previous arrests for theft, trespassing, resisting police and drug offenses. He was arrested again in November 2025 on grand larceny, burglary-tool and drug charges before being released despite an ICE detainer.
Edward Clement Jr., a St. Lucian national with a larceny conviction and previous arrests for robbery, vehicle theft and fraud, was charged in February 2026 with assault, unlawful imprisonment and obstructing breathing or blood circulation, but was set free. Jose Orellana, a Honduran national previously convicted of assault, burglary, larceny, vehicle theft and illegal re-entry, among other offenses, was arrested again in April 2026 on theft-related charges before being released despite ICE’s request.
Yefri Julian Mejia-Martinez, a Honduran with previous arrests for burglary, larceny, drugs and resisting police, was charged in July 2026 with robbery and burglary causing injury but let go despite a detainer. Sergio Daniel Gutierrez, a Nicaraguan with previous convictions for grand larceny, burglary, possession of stolen property and disorderly conduct, was arrested again in August 2026 on a stolen-property charge before being released despite ICE’s request.
Wilson Heliodor Ortega Lizano, an Ecuadorian with previous arrests for assault, menacing, harassment and theft, was charged in July 2026 with assault and menacing with a weapon, but released. Dilverson Javier Ruiz Agreda, a Venezuelan previously convicted of grand larceny and arrested for assault, stolen property and drug offenses, was charged with burglary in September 2025, then set free despite an ICE detainer.
The Amatitla case has drawn particular attention because of its severity. Federal officials say he deliberately torched an occupied building in Flushing and then drank beer while watching four people burn to death. The victims included a toddler.
New York’s sanctuary policies limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. State and city officials have defended these policies as protecting immigrant communities and encouraging cooperation with local police, while federal officials argue they endanger public safety by releasing criminals who could be deported.
The 11 cases represent a cross-section of nationalities and criminal histories, but share a common outcome: release from custody despite ICE requests for notification or transfer. Federal officials did not specify in all cases whether the migrants remain at large or were later taken into ICE custody through other means.
The dispute over detainers reflects a broader conflict between the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement priorities and Democratic-led states and cities that have resisted cooperation. ICE detainers are requests, not judicial orders, and some jurisdictions have cited court rulings questioning their constitutionality when not accompanied by warrants.
Neither New York City Department of Correction officials nor representatives for Mayor Eric Adams immediately responded to requests for comment on the specific cases. Governor Kathy Hochul’s office also did not provide a statement on the federal allegations.
The cases span arrests from late 2024 through mid-2026, suggesting the release pattern has continued across multiple years and administrations. Several of the migrants had accumulated multiple prior arrests or convictions before the incidents that triggered ICE’s most recent detainer requests.