ICE Urges New York to Honor Detainers for 7,000 Criminal Illegal Immigrants Held by State

The detainers require the state to notify federal immigration authorities when illegal immigrants held in state prisons are due for release.

The badge of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Hawthorne, Calif., on March 1, 2020. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Dec. 1 urged New York state to honor its detainers for more than 7,000 illegal immigrants currently in custody for various criminal offenses.

ICE alleged that the state has already released about 6,947 criminal illegal immigrants with active detainers since Jan. 20. Among those released were alleged murderers and sexual predators, according to the agency.