Qns. bust stirs ‘sanctuary’ flap
IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS asked the city to detain an undocumented Jamaican man for deportation months before he allegedly stabbed a rival to death near a Queens subway station.
The case of Micah Brown — a troubled 20-year-old who had several run-ins with the law since arriving in the U.S. in 2014 — prompted an ICE source to say he highlighted what was wrong with “sanctuary city” policies.
“He was released back onto the streets, only to be arrested months later for murder,” the ICE source said of Brown.
But an immigration advocate said the case was being used to justify President Trump’s harsh immigration crackdown that has resulted in the dismantling of families for minor offenses.
“ICE is always looking for the worstcase scenario to validate its broad mandate to arrest as many immigrants as possible and warp the public’s perception of sanctuary cities,” said Alisa Wellek, the executive director of the Immigrant Defense Project.
Brown overstayed his visa after arriving in the U.S. four years ago, an ICE source said.
Prosecutors say Brown stabbed Anthony Teil (photo) to death on Feb. 25 near the Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer subway station. He allegedly used an ice pick or another sharp object in the grisly attack.
The victim’s father was stunned to learn the incident could have been avoided. “If you’re here legally, that’s fine, but if you’re not . . . he should’ve been kicked out, back to Jamaica,” said Teil’s 52-yearold father, also named Anthony.
An ICE source pointed the Daily News to an earlier dustup that landed Brown on the agency’s radar. On Sept. 8, while he was driving a dollar van, he got into an argument over a fare with a passenger and her 5-year-old daughter, according to a criminal complaint. As the woman and her child stepped out of the vehicle, Brown peeled away, knocking the girl into the street, prosecutors said.
He was taken into custody and charged with leaving the scene, endangering the welfare of a child and other violations on Sept. 18. That very day, ICE lodged a so-called detainer request with the NYPD, asking authorities to hold Brown so immigration agents could take him into custody for deportation. As a sanctuary city, New York only honors detainers for 170 serious criminal charges — none of which Brown was facing.
Brown posted bail on Sept. 20. He was arrested again on Oct. 1 for spray-painting a his girlfriend’s sister’s BMW, according to a police source. He was released on his own recognizance. His next arrest was for Teil’s murder. He is being held at the Vernon C. Bain Center on Rikers Island.
“We mourn with the Teil family in this time of loss,” City Hall spokesman Seth Stein said.
“If Mr. Brown is convicted, we will work aggressively with federal officials to transfer him to their custody at the end of his sentence.”
Charles Miller, Brown’s attorney in the murder case, said his client is presumed innocent.