U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested a citizen of the Dominican Republic last week after New York City police released him despite a detainer order being in place.
ICE said Monday it took 44-year-old Hector Suarez into custody on Feb. 21. The agency said he was previously arrested in December by police in New York City, but he was freed on bail on Dec. 30.
ICE said a detainer order was in place one day before Suarez, an illegal immigrant who had already been deported three times, was set free. Suarez's criminal history in the United States includes felony re-entry and assault and several other felony and misdemeanor charges.
"This is the case of another criminal alien, a felon, who was released back into the streets. Politics and rhetoric are not what keep the people of this great city safe," said Thomas R. Decker, ICE field office director for ERO New York.
"ICE is committed to maintaining and strengthening its relationship with local law enforcement. We also welcome changes to the city's present detainer policies in the interest of public safety and national security."
Several jurisdictions are known as sanctuary cities and do not, in general, enforce federal immigration laws. New York City falls under this category.
Politico cited a New York City Hall source that said ICE's claim of a detainer order being in place was not true. The source told the website city authorities never received the order, and that Suarez would not have been released if they had one.
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