ICE Arrests 2,197 Immigrants Across New York State

NEW YORK -US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 2,197 immigrants across New York state from late July to late August as part of an operation.

At a press conference in New York City on September 1, Mullin said ‘Operation Rotten Apple’ had done what “sanctuary politicians” in New York City and New York state refuse to do — make the Empire State safer. He said the operation received no help from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani or New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

“Over the course of this operation, we arrested murderers, rapists, pedophiles, drug traffickers, and violent assailants,” Mullin said.

White House Border Czar Tom Homan said Democratic politicians in New York and elsewhere claim to care about public safety but will not allow immigration law enforcement officers into their jails to take criminals into custody. Instead, he said, they release them onto the streets.

“It makes no sense,” Homan said.

Hochul, meanwhile, challenged the remarks by DHS officials at a separate press conference the same day, saying, “we’re not a sanctuary state for criminals” and accusing the administration of lying to the public, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Here’s my message to the president: Don’t undermine our public safety efforts. Don’t defund the police who thwart terror attacks. Don’t play political games with people’s lives,” Hochul said.

“Release the 87 million dollars you owe us, because if you don’t release the counterterrorism funding, you’re betraying every family that lost someone on 9/11,” Hochul said, referring to the 40 per cent of New York state’s counterterrorism funding that she said DHS is withholding.

Mamdani said that if anyone were to commit serious crimes, “we would be in contact with the federal administration about it.”

“What we are seeing, however, from ICE is an attempt to criminalize the very fact of being an immigrant, and we are seeing a terrorizing of immigrants across our city and, frankly, across our nation, that has left so many, regardless of their status, in deep fear about even leaving their home,” Mamdani said. (IANS)