ICE arrests illegal Venezuelan migrant convicted of assaulting NYPD officers

NEW YORK CITY (TNND) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials announced Wednesday the arrest of an illegal Venezuelan migrant found guilty of assaulting a New York City police officer in Times Square.

Darwin Andres Gomez Izquiel is one of several people caught on video kicking and punching two New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers earlier this year. He reportedly grinned but did not speak during the sentencing for the crime.

ICE wrote that Izquiel first entered the United States in August 2023 near the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. He entered the country illegally without being inspected by border guards, the agency said. After being granted an expedited removal order, the migrant withdrew his application to enter the United States and voluntarily returned to Mexico, according to ICE.

According to ICE, the Border Patrol encountered Izquiel again in October 2023 after he again entered the United States illegally without inspection. He was ordered to appear before an immigration judge and released. The agency wrote: “There is no indication that he followed these reporting instructions.”

Izquiel was later arrested by the NYPD and convicted of assaulting the officer. Officials with the Criminal Apprehension Program said they arrested the migrant immediately after his release from New York Department of Corrections custody. He is currently in ICE custody awaiting deportation from the country.

“Gomez-Izquiel is a criminal and a threat to New York City officials, residents and businesses,” said Kenneth Genalo, head of ERO’s New York City field office. “We will not allow our communities to become havens for non-citizens who refuse to comply with our laws. ERO New York City will continue to work with tireless determination to apprehend and remove these violent offenders.”

ICE previously arrested two other people accused of involvement in the attack. They were each identified as members of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday the Biden-Harris administration is doing “everything” it can to combat the gang, saying the problem is nothing new to the agency.

“We are actually doing everything we can to dismantle criminal gangs and transnational criminal organizations,” he said. “Frankly, we have dedicated and focused an unprecedented level of resources and personnel on this effort. This is not a new phenomenon.”

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