A 16-year-old girl was walking home in Huntington, on Long Island, on June 6 when a man allegedly dragged her into an alley after she declined to give him her phone number. Reports say she broke free, climbed a fence and called 911 while he kept chasing her.
The man, Antonio Melendez Reyes, 59, was later indicted on charges of rape, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. The Department of Homeland Security says he is a Salvadoran national who entered the country illegally at an unknown date. On July 10, 1998, an immigration judge issued him a final order of removal. Federal officials say he stayed anyway, for decades.
DHS demands a handover
DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis did not hold back. “This monster is charged with rape, sexual abuse, and endangering the welfare of a child after he raped a 16-year-old girl who was walking home,” she said. She added that he “NEVER should have been in our country.”
The department has lodged an immigration detainer, asking New York authorities to transfer Reyes to federal custody for deportation proceedings. Bis urged Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state officials not to release him and to turn him over to ICE. Federal officials note that New York has a history of declining to honor such requests.
The figures DHS cites
DHS used the case to argue that sanctuary policies put communities at risk. By its count, as of December 1, 2025, New York’s failure to honor detainers had led to the release of 6,947 criminal illegal aliens since January 20, 2025. The agency said that group included 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 199 burglaries and 305 robberies, along with 392 dangerous drug offenses, 300 weapons offenses and 207 sexual predatory offenses.
It also said 7,113 people held by New York jurisdictions had active detainer requests on that date. The alleged crimes tied to them, according to DHS, include 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 134 burglaries, 106 robberies, 235 dangerous drug offenses, 152 weapons offenses and 260 sexual predatory offenses.
These numbers come from the agency itself. Reyes has been charged but not convicted.
