DHS Reports Guinean Man at Large After NYPD Ignored Federal Detainer

The Department of Homeland Security stated on Tuesday that Alpha Bah, a Guinean national, remains at large in New York City. Federal officials report that the NYPD released Bah from custody even though Immigration and Customs Enforcement had lodged a detainer to keep him held.

Bah was arrested on Oct. 7, 2026, at Queens Central Booking. He faced charges for aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, and intent to obtain transportation without paying. DHS says the police department failed to honor the federal request and let Bah go without notifying ICE.

This is the second time ICE has requested custody of Bah in 2026. In June, he was charged with fare evasion and arrested at Manhattan Central Booking. ICE filed a detainer then, but the NYPD also released him. DHS data indicates Bah entered the country illegally in November 2023. He lived in Arizona before a Border Patrol arrest, and he was released again in January 2025 after a criminal trespassing charge.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticized the city's handling of the case in comments to Fox News Digital. "This is the vision of sanctuary politicians in a nutshell," Mullin said. He argued that border policies from the Biden administration allowed Bah to enter the country, and that New York officials released him without notifying federal agents. In a separate statement, Mullin said Bah "remains at large."

Mullin directed a message at state and city leaders, specifically Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He called on them to "knock it off with these evil sanctuary policies before another American gets hurt, or worse." Neither office immediately responded to a request for comment.

Hochul signed legislation in May that bars New York law enforcement agencies from entering into official agreements with ICE. Mamdani signed an executive order reaffirming the city's commitment to being a sanctuary for all New Yorkers. That order restricted federal immigration enforcement on city property and limited data access on illegal immigrants.

DHS claims that seven of the ten safest cities in the U.S. cooperate with ICE. The department said the case should lead pro-sanctuary politicians to reconsider rules that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.