Federal authorities captured an illegal immigrant previously released from local custody who later attacked a New York City police officer with a deadly weapon.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security blasted state and local officials for ignoring several immigration detainer requests for the suspect, Alpha Bah, from Guinea, including after his most recent arrest Oct. 7 for assaulting a New York City Police Department officer.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement located Bah at a temporary residence in New York City, ending a manhunt that was prompted by his most recent release from jail.
SANCTUARY NY RELEASES ILLEGAL ALIEN AFTER ARREST FOR ASSAULTING A POLICE OFFICER!
Alpha Bah, an illegal alien released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, was arrested for assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon.
Despite an ICE detainer, NYPD RELEASED Bah…
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) October 29, 2026
Officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations established surveillance in the surrounding area and took him into custody around 3:25 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, per Fox News Digital.
On Oct. 7, ICE lodged a detainer with Queens Central Booking for Bah, but it was ignored by local authorities, ICE officials said in a news release.
This was after he faced charges of aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, obstruct governmental administration, and intent to obtain transportation without paying.
The case once again highlights the failures of New York’s sanctuary policies, federal authorities said.
“ICE gave New York City multiple opportunities to turn this illegal alien over to federal custody — and multiple times, our requests went unanswered,” acting ICE Director David J. Venturella said.
“When local jurisdictions refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, they force our officers to make arrests in communities rather than safe, controlled settings, creating unnecessary risks for everyone involved,” Venturella added.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin called out New York’s soft-on-crime policies, along with the jail’s refusal to turn Bah over to ICE.
According to DHS records, Bah entered the United States illegally through Arizona in November 2023 and was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol.
Bah had previous run-ins with NYPD and had been arrested twice before. He was arrested in June 2026 and charged with intent to obtain transportation without paying.
ICE lodged a detainer with Manhattan Central Booking, but the NYPD refused to honor the detainer and released him.
Police also arrested him in January 2025 for criminal trespassing, but he was released before ICE could lodge a detainer.
“This is the vision of sanctuary politicians in a nutshell: the open-border policies of the Biden administration let this criminal into our country, and then sanctuary politicians in New York released him after arresting him without notifying ICE,” Mullin said.
This is the third recent crime involving an illegal immigrant accused of injuring or assault New York law enforcement and being protected by New York sanctuary policies.
On Oct. 19, U.S. Marshals captured a Dominican national who fled after a hit-and-run that severely injured an on-duty officer in the Bronx.
Eduard Paulino, 31, was arrested in the Bronx after allegedly striking an NYPD cop with his car and fleeing the scene. He was wanted by ICE after being released from jail for another alleged assault in September.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 7, U.S. Marshals arrested two illegal immigrants from the Dominican Republic in Massachusetts for the brutal stabbing of an off-duty NYPD detective in the Bronx.
The suspects, Sneider Mejia Bautista, 24, and D’Angelo Rafael Jean Caraballo, 25, were wanted on charges of attempted murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon for the alleged attack on Detective Jose Mercedes Friday, Oct. 2.
Police said they attempted to steal Mercedes’ gold chain and stabbed him several times. The two men fled the scene on an e-bike. Despite his stab wounds, the detective chased them for several blocks.
The suspects had multiple prior arrests in New York and were released by local authorities, federal officials said. Their criminal histories included reckless endangerment, reckless driving, possession of burglar’s tools, grand larceny, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, among other crimes.
ICE New York also lodged immigration detainers for Bautista and Caraballo in an effort to keep them behind bars.
New York City’s Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an Executive Order turning New York City into a shield for violent criminal illegal immigrants to reoffend and remain free on the streets.
“DHS is calling on Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani to knock it off with these evil sanctuary policies before another American gets hurt, or worse,” Mullin said.
Per DHS, the latest ICE data reveals that from Jan. 20, 2025, to Oct. 8, 2026, 16,070 immigration detainers were not honored by the state of New York.
The suspects associated with these detainers have a combined 52,503 total criminal charges and convictions, including 131 homicides, 132 kidnappings, 1,017 sexual offenses, 1,561 DUI-related offenses, 1,631 Burglaries, 1,776 robberies, 2,198 weapons offenses, 4,324 drug offenses and 9,500 assaults.
