New York Sees 2,197 Migrant Arrests as DHS Targets Violent Offenders

At a Tuesday press conference in New York City, Homeland Security Secretary Markwan Mullin announced that ICE agents had detained 2,197 immigrants across New York between late July and August’s end. The operation, named “Operation Rotten Apple,” was aimed at individuals accused of homicide, sexual assault, child sex crimes, drug trafficking and other violent offenses.

Mullin said the effort succeeded where city and state leaders—Mayor Jovan Mamadani and Governor Kathy Hochul—refused to cooperate, and he credited the arrests with making the state safer. White House border official Tom Homer countered, accusing New York Democrats of blocking immigration enforcement and allowing suspects to walk free.

Governor Hochul held a separate briefing, rejecting DHS claims and insisting New York does not provide sanctuary for criminals. She urged the president to keep counter‑terrorism funding intact and to release an $8.7 million federal payment owed to the state, warning that withholding money harms families of the 9/11 victims. Mamadani pledged to work with federal authorities on serious crimes while criticizing ICE for treating immigration status as a criminal category.