ICE officers arrested Gerardo Miguel-Mora, a Mexican national with a history of serious criminal charges, in New York City on January 30, 2026. The arrest followed multiple releases from local custody despite federal requests to detain him.
Miguel-Mora has faced several charges over the years. Between July and August 2011, he was arrested for rape, strangulation, assault, forcible touching, burglary, and disorderly conduct. In January 2012, he was convicted of burglary by the New York State Supreme Court and sentenced to 42 months in prison with an additional ten years of post-release supervision.
In April 2023 and May 2024, Miguel-Mora was arrested again by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on charges including false personation, grand larceny, and possession of controlled substances. On both occasions in May and August 2024, NYPD released him before immigration authorities could file detainers.
A federal criminal warrant for illegal reentry as an aggravated felon was issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in March 2025. Despite this warrant and repeated ICE detainer requests following further arrests in January 2026 for drug possession and larceny-related offenses, NYPD released Miguel-Mora multiple times.
Miguel-Mora entered the United States illegally at an unknown time and place. He received a final order of removal from an immigration judge in July 2012 and was deported to Mexico that September. Authorities say he later returned unlawfully to the U.S.
“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,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “We need local law enforcement to cooperate with us to get these heinous criminals out of our neighborhoods. 7 of the 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE. We are once again calling on Governor Hochul to commit to turning the more than 7,000 heinous criminals in New York’s custody over to ICE.”
According to ICE officials, since January 20th there have been nearly seven thousand cases where individuals described as criminal illegal aliens were released after local authorities did not honor ICE detainers. These individuals were reportedly charged or convicted of offenses such as homicide, assault, burglary, robbery, drug crimes, weapons violations and sexual predatory offenses.
There are currently over seven thousand people held by various jurisdictions within New York who have active ICE detainers against them; their alleged crimes include homicides as well as assaults and other violent or drug-related offenses.
