Federal immigration officers on Friday arrested an illegal immigrant accused of attacking a New York City police officer, bringing an end to a manhunt that began after city authorities released him from custody despite repeated detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Fox News Digital has learned.
A Department of Homeland Security official told Fox News Digital that Alpha Bah, a Guinean national, was taken into custody at about 3:25 p.m. after ICE officers tracked him to a temporary residence in New York City.
According to the official, officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations developed intelligence on Friday about Bah's last known temporary residence and set up surveillance in the surrounding area.
At roughly 2:22 p.m., officers observed a man matching Bah's description leave the residence and meet several unidentified people on a nearby public street. Because several school-aged children were in the area, officers kept watching him rather than moving in right away.
About an hour later, officers saw Bah alone and approached him while displaying police and ICE identification. His identity was confirmed through biographical questions, a photograph and Mobile Fortify, a biometric identification tool.
The officers informed Bah of an administrative immigration arrest warrant and took him into custody without incident. The official said he was transported to 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan for post-arrest processing.
The arrest followed Fox News Digital's reporting that New York City authorities had released Bah despite repeated requests from federal immigration officials to keep him in custody. DHS said Bah was initially arrested Oct. 7 on charges of aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and intent to obtain transportation without paying.
ICE lodged a detainer with Queens Central Booking, but Bah was released without federal immigration authorities being notified, DHS previously said. The case prompted criticism from federal immigration officials, who said the city's sanctuary policies allowed Bah back onto the streets despite the pending detainer.
In a statement issued before Friday's arrest, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said: "This illegal alien from Guinea was arrested for assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon. Despite these violent charges, New York City sanctuary politicians refused to honor ICE's detainer and RELEASED him back onto the streets, and he remains at large."
Mullin added, "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." Fox News Digital's Hannah Brennan and Peter D'Abrosca contributed to the original report.
