Alpha Bah released twice, now at large after NYPD ignored ICE detainers

Alpha Bah, a Guinean national who entered the United States illegally in November 2023, is now at large after authorities released him from custody for a second time. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the man faces aggravated assault charges for hitting a police officer with a deadly weapon. He was previously charged with intent to obtain transportation without paying in June 2026.

Bah’s history with New York law enforcement dates back to January 2025, when he was arrested for criminal trespassing. DHS states that he was released before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could secure a detainer under Biden-era policies. He lived in Arizona before being picked up by U.S. Border Patrol, according to federal records.

The latest incident began with an arrest in Queens. Bah was charged with 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 request with Queens Central Booking on Oct. 7, 2026. The NYPD released Bah without notifying ICE of his departure.

This follows a similar pattern from June 2026, when ICE placed a detainer with Manhattan Central Booking after his initial arrest for fare evasion. The NYPD again released him, ignoring the federal request to hold him. DHS officials describe these actions as part of a wider trend in sanctuary jurisdictions that allows non-citizens without legal status to re-enter the general population after being booked.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin called the release a summary of sanctuary politics. "This is the vision of sanctuary politicians in a nutshell: the open-border policies of the Biden Administration let this criminal into our country, and then sanctuary politicians in New York released him after arresting him without notifying ICE," Mullin told Fox News Digital. He noted that the man remains at large despite violent charges.

Mullin added that the release flies in the face of the Trump administration’s efforts to limit the number of people without legal status in the country. "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 said in a statement.

The federal department has called on New York officials to change their approach. DHS urged Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stop using "evil sanctuary policies" before another American is injured. The agency also asked other pro-sanctuary politicians nationwide to reconsider rules that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Hochul, a Democrat, signed legislation in May that blocks New York state law enforcement agencies from entering into official agreements with ICE. She has long supported restrictions on how state and local police interact with federal immigration officials. Her office did not immediately reply to requests for comment regarding Bah’s release.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who describes himself as a socialist, signed an executive order reaffirming the city’s commitment to being a sanctuary for all New Yorkers. The order makes it harder for agencies to access data on non-citizens without status and restricts federal immigration enforcement on city property. It also mandates an audit to ensure city agencies comply with these rules.

DHS countered that partnerships between ICE and local law enforcement are essential for removing criminal aliens from communities. The agency stated that seven of the ten safest cities in the U.S. cooperate with ICE. Mamdani’s office also did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

ICE has requested that Bah be held in custody twice, and both times the NYPD released him. The department is now tracking his location as a manhunt continues. Federal officials say the case exemplifies the friction between local sanctuary policies and federal immigration enforcement priorities.

The timeline shows a pattern: a January 2025 trespassing arrest, a June 2026 fare evasion arrest, and the October 2026 assault arrest. Each time, federal agencies sought to detain Bah, but local authorities let him go. DHS says it is monitoring the situation closely as the search for the suspect continues.