ICE's ‘Rotten Apple’ operation targets New York 'sanctuary' policies

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(The Center Square) — Federal immigration officials arrested hundreds of "illegal aliens" in a multi-agency sweep of New York City over the past 30 days, which comes in response to the state's new 'sanctuary' policies restricting cooperation with immigration crackdowns. 

On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Operation Rotten Apple, which took place from July 27 to August 29, resulted in the arrests of 2,197 illegal" aliens, including "murderers, rapists, pedophiles, drug traffickers, and violent assailants."

Mullin said the operation "did what sanctuary politicians in New York City and the state of New York refuse to do: made the Empire State safer." He ripped into Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for refusing to help federal authorities rid the city of the "worst of the worst." 

"Over the course of this operation, we arrested murderers, rapists, pedophiles, drug traffickers, and violent assailants," Mullin said in remarks. "And we did it with no help from Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul. The Trump Administration is committed to protecting the American people in every city and every state, and we won’t let sanctuary politicians stand in our way." 

DHS released a list of several of those apprehended during the month-long operation, including Bogdan Detrovich Gren, a Ukrainian national whose criminal history includes convictions for kidnapping, abduction resulting in death, criminal possession of a weapon, and murder. Others had criminal histories for rape, drug trafficking, and assault, according to DHS. The agency didn't provide a complete list of those who were apprehended.

But Mullin and other Trump administration officials took aim at New York's newly minted Local Cops Local Crimes Act, which requires local law enforcement agencies to end 287(g) agreements that allow local cops to be deputized by ICE for immigration enforcement.  

"Democratic politicians in New York and elsewhere say that they care about public safety, but won’t let immigration law enforcement officers into their jails to take criminals into custody; instead they release them to their streets," Trump Border Czar Tom Homan said in remarks. "It makes no sense." 

Hochul signed the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act into law in May as part of the annual state budget, drawing immediate scrutiny from the Trump administration which argues the toughest-in-the-nation restrictions are illegal. 

The DOJ sued New York over the new law, and federal prosecutors recently secured an injunction temporarily blocking a ban on ICE agents from wearing masks during immigration enforcement operations. Attorney General Letitia James has filed a countersuit to uphold the law. Hochul is also embroiled in a court fight with county sheriffs over enforcement of the ban on ICE agreements.

Mullin's briefing on the ICE operation also came as Hochul and Mamdani held a dueling press conference, also in New York City, to demand that DHS restore $87 million in federal anti-terrorism funding. 

Hochul accused the Trump administration of "defunding the police" ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.