Illegal Migrant Convicted For Assaulting Cop In Big Apple Nabbed By ICE

Federal immigration authorities have taken custody of an illegal migrant who was convicted of assaulting a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer in July.

Darwin Andres Gomez Izquiel, a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. unlawfully under the Biden-Harris administration, was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Oct. 10 after he was handed over by local authorities, according to the agency. The apprehension marks a notable break from New York City’s sanctuary policies, which typically forbid local police from cooperating with ICE.

The NYPD arrested Gomez on Jan. 27 on charges of assaulting a police officer, second-degree gang assault, disorderly conduct and obstruction of governmental administration, according to ICE. The charges pertained to a mob attack against two NYPD cops who were attempting to control a disorderly group of migrants in Times Square.

“Gomez-Izquiel is a criminal and threat to the public servants, residents and businesses of New York City,” Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City field office director Kenneth Genalo said. “We will not allow our communities to become safe havens for noncitizens who refuse to abide our laws.”

“ERO New York City will continue to work with unending determination to apprehend and remove these violent criminal offenders,” Genalo continued.

Border Patrol agents first encountered Gomez in August 2023 near the Rio Grande Valley in Texas after he was observed illegally crossing into the U.S., but he later withdrew his application for admission and voluntarily returned to Mexico, according to ICE. Border agents encountered him again in October 2023 after he illegally crossed into the U.S., this time near the Del Rio Sector, with agents issuing him a notice to appear before an immigration judge and releasing him into the country.