ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – A Mexican citizen in Ithaca has been taken into custody by federal officials.

On January 30, Jesus Romero-Hernandez was arrested by agents from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). According to officials with the United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of New York, the 27-year-old was charged on January 8 with illegally reentering the U.S.

At the time, Romero-Hernandez was in custody in the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office after pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault. He was released Tuesday on a time-served sentence.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove released the following statement through the United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of New York.

“The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office in Ithaca, NY, a self-described sanctuary city, appears to have failed to honor a valid federal arrest warrant for a criminal alien with an assault conviction,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.

“Yesterday, despite the warrant, a defendant with no legal status and a history of violence was released into the community. Federal agents risked their safety and pursued the defendant in unsafe conditions. Today, they were successful in recapturing the defendant. I applaud the U.S. Attorney’s commitment to investigate these circumstances for potential prosecution, and the efforts of the agents who were able to arrest the defendant under wholly avoidable circumstances.”

“The Justice Department will not tolerate actions that endanger law enforcement and make their jobs harder than they already are, as they work to protect us all. We will use every tool at our disposal to prevent sanctuary city policies from impeding and obstructing lawful federal operations designed to make America safe again and end the national crisis arising from four years of failed immigration policy.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says they’re looking into the circumstances of his release.

The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment to WHCU.