DHS: NYC refusing to honor ICE detainer for alleged illegal alien arsonist who killed 4

Zohran Mamdani’s New York City is refusing to place an immigration detainer on an illegal alien arsonist allegedly responsible for multiple deaths.

Around 11:43 am on March 16, Mexican illegal alien Roman Ceron Amatitla entered a three-story apartment building in NYC, according to a press release from Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office.

He left a minute later but remained “in the vicinity of the property for another 15 minutes” before urinating in front of the building. He then entered and left the apartment building two more times.

Amatitla then reportedly crossed the street, entered a gas station, purchased a beer, stole another beer, and demanded a free lighter. After being told that lighters aren’t free, he settled with a pack of matches.

The illegal alien subsequently returned to the apartment building, reportedly set a piece of paper on fire, and placed it on top of a pile of garbage. As smoke began to fill the building, Amatitla watched the building burn.

The ramifications of his actions were horrific.

“Responding firefighters discovered a 3-year-old girl, Sihan Yang, on a third-floor bed and she was pronounced deceased on the scene,” the press release reads. “A 49-year-old male, Chengri Cui, and a 61-year-old female, Shin Chie Ming, were also both discovered in the building and pronounced deceased on the scene.”

“Hong Zhao, a 64-year-old male, leaped from a building window and sustained multiple broken bones and brain trauma. He was pronounced deceased at a nearby hospital at 2:30 p.m.,” the press release continues.

In addition, two New York firefighters were injured when “the staircase connecting the first floor to the second and third floors collapsed,” and they fell to the basement.

Another four “building occupants” were injured while jumping from the building, while a fifth “occupant” was rescued from a second-floor window.

NYC: @alexandrankoch is now reporting that Roman Ceron Amatitla, who is accused of setting a fire that killed four, is an illegal alien.

Last month, Sihan Yang, Chengri Cui, Chie Shin Ming, and Hong Zhao all died in a fire that Amatitla was said to have set and then watched… pic.twitter.com/ZffOQ0Rbtc

— Illegal Alien Crimes (@ImmigrantCrimes) April 17, 2026

Amatitla has since been charged with eight counts of murder in the second degree, arson in the first degree, and more.

“This was an act of mass murder,” Katz said in a statement. “As alleged, Roman Amatitla deliberately set a fire in an occupied building and killed four people, including a 3-year-old girl. Shockingly, the defendant had no known connection to the building or any of its occupants and selected the building at random.”

The problem is that NYC officials are now refusing to honor a detainer request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explained in a press release that the NYC Department of Corrections “has stated they WILL NOT cooperate with ICE and WILL RELEASE the illegal alien from jail back onto the streets of New York without communicating with ICE.”

“This monster set fire to a building and watched as innocent people, including a three-year-old, burned to death,” acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “New York City sanctuary politicians REFUSE to cooperate with ICE and are committing to RELEASING this MURDERER onto New York streets.”

“New York’s sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety. We are calling on Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani to commit to honoring this detainer and turning him over,” she added.

QUEENS, N.Y. — District Attorney Melinda Katz announced April 9 that Roman Ceron Amatitla, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was charged with EIGHT COUNTS OF MURDER and ARSON after he allegedly deliberetely set a building on fire and watched it burn — killing four people,… pic.twitter.com/Ti9XzdZNyX

— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) April 18, 2026

DHS appeared in the press release to blame both Mayor Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul for NYC’s sanctuary policy.

The release noted that Mamdani signed an executive order “turning New York City into a shield for violent criminal illegal aliens to reoffend and create more innocent victims.”

The release further notes that his EO “came after Governor Kathy Hochul’s legislative proposal to bar local police departments from partnering and cooperating with ICE law enforcement.”

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