NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Department of Homeland Security on Friday released the names of some of the “worst of the worst” detainees being held at the Federal Plaza in New York City a day after security locked down the federal facility because of demonstrators.
A group of Democratic lawmakers and protesters, including New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, staged a sit-in on the 10th floor of the facility on Thursday, demanding access to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices and holding cells.
ICE sources claim officers had to secure doors with locks and zip ties after protesters pushed to enter, with additional security having to be added.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, DHS called the detainees “some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens—including MS-13 gang members and criminals convicted of illegal possession of a weapon, drug trafficking, and serial drunk drivers.”
“Another day with more politicians pulling a stunt in attempt to get their 15 minutes of fame while endangering DHS personnel and detainees,” Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Assistant Secretary for public affairs, said in a statement.
She said that Lander showed up at the plaza “unannounced with agitators and media and proceeded to obstruct law enforcement and cause a scene. He yelled inside the building that he was ‘not leaving’ until detainees were ‘released’.”
As a result, she said Federal Protective Service called the NYPD, and local police along with federal law enforcement and 71 arrests were made, including Lander, two New York State Senators, and nine New York State Assembly Members.
“MS-13 Gang members, drug traffickers, serial drunk drivers, and illegal possession of a weapon. These are the criminal illegal aliens these sanctuary politicians were fighting to be released back onto the streets of New York City,” McLaughlin said. “The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens.”
DHS identified six of the detainees, including Vladimir Kuca, an Albanian national who illegally entered the U.S. in 2023 after being convicted of drug trafficking in Switzerland. He was handed over to ICE by the FBI on Thursday.
David Abrego Alvarado and Juan Hernandez Saravia, Salvadoran nationals, are confirmed MS-13 gang members, DHS said. Alvarado was removed from the U.S. in 2017 and illegally returned in 2023. He had a DWI conviction.
Saravia has three DUIs and has two additional convictions for possession of a weapon. He was removed in 2007, eventually returning illegally at an unknown time.
Juan Enrique Pena Soriano, a national from the Dominican Republic, came into the U.S. illegally at an unknown time and was arrested by the DEA for possession of a controlled substance and turned over to ICE.
Asker Aslanovich Khutov, a Russian, overstayed his B-2 tourist visa and has a final order of removal from an immigration judge. He was convicted of criminal possession of stolen property.
Miguel Ramirez, a Mexican national, illegally entered the U.S. at an unknown date and was charged with restricted consumption and was previously convicted of resisting arrest.
The post DHS names ‘worst of the worst’ detainees after Democratic lawmakers demand their release appeared first on Fox News.
