By now you probably have at least heard or read the name Reeaz Khan. He’s the 21-year-old Richmond Hill resident who was arraigned on Friday for the horrific murder of 92-year-old Maria Fuertes. Khan allegedly threw Fuertes to the ground, sexually assaulted her, and sprinted from the scene.
Fuertes later succumbed to her injuries at Jamaica Hospital.
What you might not know is this—alleged—animal isn’t even supposed to be here. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Khan was previously released from NYPD custody in November 2019 with an active detainer.
(ICE lodges detainers on individuals who have been arrested on criminal charges and who ICE has probable cause to believe are removable aliens. The detainer asks the other law enforcement agency to notify ICE in advance of release and to maintain custody of the alien for a brief period of time so that ICE can take custody of that person in a safe and secure setting upon release from that agency’s custody.)
According to ICE, on Nov. 27, Khan was arrested by the NYPD and charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon. On that same date, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations deportation officers lodged a detainer with the NYPD. The detainer was not honored, and Khan was released following arraignment.
“It is made clear that New York City’s stance against honoring detainers is dangerously flawed. It was a deadly choice to release a man on an active ICE detainer back onto the streets after his first arrest included assault and weapon charges, and he now faces new charges, including murder,” said Thomas Decker, field office director for ERO New York. “New York City’s sanctuary policies continue to threaten the safety of all residents of the five boroughs, as they repeatedly protect criminal aliens who show little regard for the laws of this nation. In New York City alone, hundreds of arrestees are released each month with pending charges and/or convictions to return back into the communities where they committed their crimes, instead of being transferred into the custody of ICE. Clearly the politicians care more about criminal illegal aliens than the citizens they are elected to serve and protect.”
According to ICE officials, when law enforcement agencies don’t honor ICE detainers, these individuals, who often have significant criminal histories, are released onto the street, presenting a potential public safety threat.
Any local jurisdiction thinking that refusing to cooperate with ICE will result in a decrease in local immigration enforcement is mistaken. Local jurisdictions that choose to not cooperate with ICE are likely to see an increase in ICE enforcement activity, as ICE the agency has no choice but to conduct more at-large arrest operations. A consequence of ICE being forced to make more arrests on the streets is the agency is likely to encounter other unlawfully present foreign nationals that wouldn’t have been encountered had ICE been allowed to take custody of a criminal target within the confines of a local jail.
Additionally, once these criminals are out on the street, confirming their whereabouts is often time consuming and resource intensive. Many of ICE arrest targets are seasoned criminals who are savvy about eluding law enforcement.
