DHS Presses New York To Honor ICE Detainer For Convicted Subway Offender
DHS on Tuesday urged New York officials to honor an ICE detainer for Felix Jeronimo-Rojas, who was sentenced June 17 to five years for assaulting and robbing a corpse on an NYC R train.[1]
ICE lodged a detainer for Jeronimo-Rojas on April 30, 2025, and DHS is pressing state and city officials to take custody when his five-year term ends.[1] DHS says Jeronimo-Rojas illegally entered the United States at least four times between 1998 and 1999 and later re-entered a fifth time, making him a priority removal case, the agency says.[1]
Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order on February 6, 2026, expanding oversight of sanctuary compliance and barring ICE agents from entering city property without a judicial warrant.[1] Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act in January 2026 to end 287(g) agreements and bar counties from renting jail space to ICE.[1] New York officials say state policies limited cooperation with ICE and led to the release of thousands of convicted noncitizens last year.[1]
ICE and the White House framed the case on social media as an example of a repeat border crosser that federal officials seek to keep out of communities. Critics counter that sanctuary policies and city limits on honoring detainers will complicate attempts to transfer custody to immigration authorities.
The mainstream summary does not mention the significant increase in ICE detainers issued in New York City since January 2025, which saw a more than 400% spike compared to the previous administration. In the first six months of 2025 alone, ICE issued 6,025 detainers, yet New York City honored only a handful, highlighting a disconnect between federal enforcement efforts and local compliance. This context suggests that the situation surrounding Jeronimo-Rojas is part of a broader trend of increasing tensions between federal immigration policies and sanctuary city regulations, which the summary downplays by focusing solely on this individual case.
Additionally, while the summary frames the case primarily through the lens of public safety concerns raised by DHS and ICE, it overlooks critical perspectives on the efficacy of sanctuary policies. Research indicates that such policies may actually foster trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement, potentially leading to lower crime rates over time. This nuanced view challenges the mainstream narrative that equates sanctuary policies with increased danger to public safety, suggesting a more complex relationship between immigration status and crime rates than the summary implies.[2]
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📊 Relevant Data
In the first six months after January 20, 2025, ICE issued 6,025 detainers in New York City, a more than 400% increase over the 9,472 detainers issued during the entire prior administration, but New York City honored only a handful.
Sanctuary City NYC Sees a More Than 400% Spike in ICE Detainers as DHS Prioritizes American People Over Criminal Illegal Aliens — Department of Homeland Security
📌 Key Facts
- Felix Jeronimo-Rojas, a 44-year-old Mexican national, was sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, for sexually assaulting and robbing Jorge Gonzalez’s corpse on a New York City R train on April 8, 2025.
- ICE lodged an immigration detainer for Jeronimo-Rojas on April 30, 2025, and DHS is demanding New York state and city officials honor it at the conclusion of his prison term.
- DHS says Jeronimo-Rojas has illegally entered the U.S. at least four times between 1998 and 1999, later re-entering a fifth time at an unknown date and location.
- According to DHS, New York state released 6,947 noncitizens convicted of crimes between Jan. 20 and Dec. 1 of last year under policies limiting cooperation with ICE.
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