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Report: NYC Officials Ignored ICE Detainer Requests For Suspect Charged With Attacking NYPD Officer

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

Kerry Picket Political Reporter
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NEW YORK — One of the five homeless individuals who attacked an NYPD officer at a New York City train station was identified as an illegal immigrant that New York City officials ignored federal immigration detainers on him, SiriusXM Patriot host David Webb revealed through a source on his program Friday morning.

“One of the suspects is Eliseo Alvarez Santos, one of the homeless men,” Webb said. “And just to give you a bit of his record, on Dec. 1, 2017, he was brought into Manhattan lock up [sic], and Eliseo is illegal, and an ICE detainer was issued on Dec. 25, 2017 — issued, but not honored. Again on Dec. 26, 2017 — again, not honored. In April of 2017, he was charged with forcible touching which was then knocked down to harassment.” (RELATED: NYC Council Passes ‘Abolish Ice’ Resolution)

NYC protesters surround ICE (Billy Talen YouTube video screenshot)

He added, “Again, the following policies are dictated by the mayor’s office — Bill de Blasio, his office. In April of 2018, a bench warrant was issued but the warrant did not show up until his arrest on Sunday of this year.”

The Daily Caller asked NYPD Commissioner James O’Neil Friday at a Mayor De Blasio press conference in Times Sq, why the NYPD did not comply with the detainer requests on Eliseo.

“I’m going to have to take a look at that and if he did have a bench warrant, I am going to have to take a look at that too…I wasn’t aware that one of them, that one of the five, had a bench warrant on them. They definitely should have been kept in custody if they had a warrant on them. I’m going to have to get back to you with an answer on the detainer question,” said O’Neil.

He added, “There is, as you know from coming to previous press conferences, they can be honored but there are some variables that – there are some rules that we need to follow, and that’s from a mayor’s executive order from 20 years ago.”

Three of the homeless men were criminally charged by the New York Police Department Thursday after allegedly attacking NYPD police officer Ali Sayed who confronted them at a Manhattan subway station.

The NYPD says Officer Ali helped a woman who was being harassed at the subway station Sunday night. The incident, which ended up with one of the men falling on to the tracks, was caught on video and went viral. (RELATED: NYC Further Restricts Police From Helping Ice Enforce The Law)

CBS New York reported that all five suspects were brought in for a psychological evaluation and were initially cited for sleeping on the subway station’s floor, which is considered a violation of metro transit rules not a crime and hasn’t been prosecuted since 2016 when the city officials loosened up laws related to prosecuting low-level violations.

Two of the suspects, 27-year-old Juan Nunez and 31-year-old Leobardo Alvarado were charged with riot and obstructing governmental administration, police told NBC New York. Alvarez Santos, who is 36 years old, also faces these charges as well as attempted assault, attempted criminal possession of a weapon and menacing.

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