The Department of Homeland Security has publicly pressured New York sanctuary officials to detain Aureliano Antonio Melendez Reyes—a man charged with rape, sexual abuse, and endangering a child’s welfare—over an immigration detainer issued on June 18, 2026.

According to DHS records, Reyes is identified as a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador who entered the United States without authorization in 1998. A Justice Department immigration judge finalized his removal order on July 10 of that year, a legal decision predating the alleged assault by over two decades. The incident occurred June 6, 2026, when a 16-year-old girl was walking home in Huntington, New York.

ICE lodged a detainer requesting New York officials honor the federal request to transfer Reyes to custody rather than release him. DHS emphasized this is not a routine bureaucratic filing but a direct demand targeting sanctuary policy. The agency reported that New York’s refusal to comply with ICE detainers has resulted in 6,947 criminal illegal aliens being released since January 20, 2025, as of December 1, 2025. Those individuals are linked to 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 199 burglaries, and numerous other serious offenses.

As of December 1, 2025, DHS states 7,113 aliens in New York jurisdiction have active detainers—each representing a federal request that sanctuary policy could override. The timeline shows Reyes was indicted on June 16, 2026, for the Huntington incident and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of rape.

DHS has positioned this case as part of a broader pattern: allowing individuals with expired removal orders to remain in the country while sanctuary policies delay federal custody actions. The agency argues that honoring the detainer would prevent Reyes from being released back onto the streets after exhausting his legal rights to stay. Officials holding Reyes face a critical choice—complying with federal law or risking another release of an individual legally ordered to leave the country decades ago.

The girl who walked home on June 6, 2026, had no voice in this process. The least New York officials can do now is ensure her safety by upholding the legal order that already existed when Reyes entered the United States.