New York City officials are reportedly planning to ignore a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for an illegal alien who burned a women alive on the subway.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced in a video on March 5 that officials in New York City had indicated their intent to ignore the ICE detainer on 33-year-old Guatemalan illegal alien Sebastian Zapeta, who was seen on camera throwing a lighter onto a random sleeping woman on the subway. He then sat and watched the victim, Debrina Kawam, burn to death. According to investigators, Zapeta did not know the woman and had never interacted with her — meaning that he just decided to commit a random, extremely gruesome murder. Kawam’s body was so damaged in the attack that it took over a week to identify her.
NEW: The man suspected of lighting a woman on fire on a New York City subway has been identified as Sebastian Zapeta.
The man apparently sat on a bench and watched his victim burn.
Police, who clearly had no clue what was going on, reportedly told the man who is believed to… pic.twitter.com/dxYibgfncJ
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 22, 2024
Zapeta is facing murder and arson charges for the December 2024 attack.
“It’s the most depraved act that a human being can commit against another person,” Noem said.
Noem explained in the video shared to X, which was filmed at the same Coney Island subway station where the murder occurred, that New York City officials were refusing to cooperate with ICE despite the gravity of the crime.
“ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the NYC Department of Corrections to take this depraved alien into custody. Because of current sanctuary city policy, the corrections department has indicated it will NOT honor the detainer,” the DHS secretary said.
“This is disgusting. New York politicians are allowing the murder of their own citizens,” Noem added. “NY Governor Hochul should impose an emergency suspension of sanctuary protection by executive order NOW.”
I went to the Coney Island subway station where Debrina Kawam was set on fire and killed by an illegal alien.
ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the NYC Department of Corrections to take this depraved alien into custody. Because of current sanctuary city policy, the… pic.twitter.com/jfJyKclDOx
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) March 5, 2025
ICE detainers are documents requesting that officials hold illegal aliens until agents can pick them up to begin deportation proceedings. However, so-called “sanctuary states” and “sanctuary cities” like New York City have refused to honor those detainers or cooperate with ICE in any way, which means that they will release criminal illegal aliens back on the streets to continue to terrorize Americans.
It is unclear exactly how long Zapeta has been in the United States. It has been confirmed that he has been deported at least once after entering the U.S. illegally in 2018 under President Donald Trump’s first term in office. He later reentered the U.S. at an unknown date and settled in New York, where he was being housed in a shelter for illegal aliens.
