The Department of Homeland Security has arrested more than 2,000 illegal aliens in New York during a five-week operation targeting sanctuary jurisdictions, according to federal officials.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Rotten Apple,” ran from July 27 to August 29 and resulted in 2,197 arrests, according to the New York Post. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on X that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had nabbed over 2,100 aliens, and he touted the operation as a victory for public safety.
“We removed these public safety threats with ZERO help from Socialist Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul,” Mullin wrote, referring to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul. Both officials have championed sanctuary policies that limit local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Arrestees include murderers, rapists, and kidnappers
According to Mullin, those taken into custody included “murderers, rapists, pedophiles, drug traffickers, and violent assailants.” The New York Post highlighted several cases:
- Bogdan Detrovich Gren, a Ukrainian national in the U.S. illegally, with convictions for murder, kidnapping, and criminal possession of a weapon.
- Andreas Bernal Chiquito, a Colombian migrant with prior arrests for sexual conduct against a child and injuring a child under age 17.
- Palvinder Singh, an Indian national convicted of rape in Germany.
- Carlos Mendez-Acosta, a Venezuelan migrant convicted of rape.
Mullin said at a press conference, “I believe there is a special place in hell for those individuals,” and added that the operation “did what sanctuary politicians in New York City and the state of New York refuse to do: made the Empire State safer.”
Sanctuary policies under fire
Federal law (8 U.S. Code § 1324) makes it a crime to harbor or conceal illegal aliens from authorities, but New York’s sanctuary policies have interfered with ICE cooperation. The New York Post reported that, according to DHS estimates, about 13,000 illegal alien criminals have been released back onto the streets of New York due to these policies.
Mullin confirmed that DHS would send more agents to New York City if necessary, saying, “Absolutely,” and adding that the agency would send as many officers as it could spare to arrest illegal aliens whom local politicians refuse to deal with.
Democrat activists have criticized ICE’s tactics, but federal officials defended the operation as a necessary measure to remove violent offenders from communities.
Source: pjmedia.com — https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/09/01/dhs-arrests-2000-illegal-aliens-in-new-york-operation-rotten-apple-n4956780
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