NYC Mayor Mamdani Calls ICE a ‘Rogue Agency’ and Reaffirms Sanctuary Limits as DHS Highlights Release of Alleged Latin Kings Member
New York City Mayor Mamdani called ICE a "rogue agency," endorsed a planned "No Kings" rally and reaffirmed the city’s sanctuary limits. The Department of Homeland Security highlighted the case of Bryan David Tasiguano Leon — an Ecuadorian national and alleged Latin Kings member whom NYPD arrested Feb. 14 for an alleged assault on a first responder but released despite an active ICE detainer — saying ICE arrested him March 4 and took him into custody pending deportation (with a Feb. 27, 2025 final order of removal), and using the case to blame "sanctuary politicians" while citing statewide figures of 7,113 noncitizens with ICE detainers, including counts for homicides, assaults and sexual predatory offenses.
📌 Key Facts
- DHS identifies Bryan David Tasiguano Leon, an Ecuadorian national and alleged Latin Kings member, as having been arrested by the NYPD on Feb. 14 for assault on a first responder, released despite an active ICE detainer, and then arrested by ICE on March 4 in New York City; he is now in ICE custody pending deportation with a Feb. 27, 2025 final order of removal.
- DHS says Leon first entered the U.S. illegally around Nov. 11, 2022, was initially released by the Biden administration, and was later released again by New York authorities despite his criminal history.
- Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis explicitly blamed “New York sanctuary politicians” for Leon’s release, saying “sanctuary politicians must stop releasing criminal illegal aliens back into our communities.”
- DHS provided updated statewide figures for New York: 7,113 noncitizens currently in custody with active ICE detainers, including people charged with 148 homicides, 717 assaults, and 260 sexual predatory offenses, among other crimes.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
"The NYT opinion argues that Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s late‑hours, hands‑on approach—exemplified amid clashes over ICE and sanctuary policy—is a defining, positive model of millennial leadership that fuses activist instincts with practical city governance."
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- DHS identifies Bryan David Tasiguano Leon, an Ecuadorian national and alleged Latin Kings member, as having been arrested by NYPD on Feb. 14 for assault on a first responder, then released despite an active ICE detainer.
- ICE arrested Leon on March 4 in New York City; he is now in ICE custody pending deportation proceedings and already has a Feb. 27, 2025 final order of removal.
- DHS says Leon first entered illegally at the southern border around Nov. 11, 2022, was initially released by the Biden administration, and then later released again by New York authorities despite his criminal history.
- Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis explicitly blames "New York sanctuary politicians" for releasing Leon and says "sanctuary politicians must stop releasing criminal illegal aliens back into our communities."
- DHS provides updated statewide figures: 7,113 noncitizens in New York currently in custody with active ICE detainers for crimes including 148 homicides, 717 assaults, and 260 sexual predatory offenses, among others.