An illegal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. at least five times was apprehended by federal authorities after he was released by a sheriff in a sanctuary city in New York, which is a sanctuary state.
On Thursday, 27-year-old Jesus Romero-Hernandez was captured in Tompkins County by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who were assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
Romero-Hernandez was on the loose after the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) ignored a federal arrest warrant and released him in Ithaca, a sanctuary city for criminal illegal aliens.
On Jan. 28, Romero-Hernandez pleaded guilty to assault in the third degree and a sentence of time-served in a Tompkins County court.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) agents arrived to take him into custody and transport him to Syracuse to face federal criminal charges for illegal re-entry after prior removal, but TCSO had already set him free.
“The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office in Ithaca, NY, a self-described sanctuary city, appears to have failed to honor a valid federal arrest warrant for a criminal alien with an assault conviction,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove explained in a Department of Justice press release.
“Yesterday, despite the warrant, a defendant with no legal status and a history of violence was released into the community. Federal agents risked their safety and pursued the defendant in unsafe conditions. Today, they were successful in recapturing the defendant.”
Romero-Hernandez has illegally re-entered the U.S. after being deported on at least five occasions, according to Julie Kelly of Real Clear Investigations.
“Sanctuary cities in the ‘FO’ stage of ‘FA’ of Trump DOJ’s immigration enforcement operation,” Kelly wrote on X.
“I believe this is the 1st time an illegal–who reportedly re-entered the US FIVE TIMES then committed at least one other crime here–was arrested by the feds after a NY sheriff released him and refused to honor a federal warrant for his arrest.”
Sanctuary cities in the "FO" stage of "FA" of Trump DOJ's immigration enforcement operation.
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) January 30, 2025
I believe this is the 1st time an illegal–who reportedly re-entered the US FIVE TIMES then committed at least one other crime here–was arrested by the feds after a NY sheriff released… pic.twitter.com/85DsVPfQ3N
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York is investigating the circumstances surrounding Romero-Hernandez’s release, according to the DOJ.
Authorities continue to catch dangerous foreign criminals in the U.S.