President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blasted the Big Apple’s sanctuary policies after the city’s corrections department refused to honor an ICE detainer for the migrant charged with torching a sleeping woman to death on the subway.
Noem ripped the move as she visited Coney Island’s Stillwell Avenue subway station on Wednesday where Guatemalan national Sebastian Zapeta-Calil allegedly carried out the infamous arson attack.
“ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the NYC Department of Corrections to take this depraved alien into custody,” Noem raged on X.
“Because of current sanctuary city policy, the corrections department has indicated it will NOT honor the detainer.”
“This is disgusting. New York politicians are allowing the murder of their own citizens,” she continued.
“Governor Hochul should impose an emergency suspension of sanctuary protection by executive order NOW.”
Under the city’s current sanctuary status, law enforcement are prevented from cooperating with federal immigration authorities to hold migrants in custody until they can be picked up for deportation proceedings.
Mayor Eric Adams, for his part, has been pushing to loosen parts of the city’s sanctuary laws that would enable the NYPD to cooperate with ICE on cracking down on illegal migrants with violent criminal rap sheets.
Zapeta-Calil was first booted from the US in June 2018 before illegally re-entering and making his way to New York City.
In the wake of his December arrest over the arson attack, the feds issued an order to detain Zapeta-Calil – but it was turned down by city officials due to the current sanctuary laws.
Sanctuary city jurisdictions vow not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to hold migrants in custody until they can be picked up for deportation proceedings.
Zapeta-Calil, 33, is currently holed up in custody on murder and arson charges over the gruesome attack on 57-year-old Debrina Kawam while she was sleeping on the train in December.
The unprovoked attack left the victim’s body so scorched that made it difficult for cops to immediately identify her.
The Post reached out to Hizzoner, ICE and the city’s Department of Correction but didn’t hear back immediately.
