Officials in New York City are reportedly refusing to hand over an illegal alien accused in a deadly arson attack that killed four, including a 3-year-old boy.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News the city is refusing to hand over 38-year-old Mexican national Roman Ceron Amatitla to immigration officials, the outlet reported Thursday.

U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) this week asked the New York City Department of Corrections (NYCDOC) to hold the suspect in jail, but the NYCDOC reportedly said it would not cooperate with the request, thus Amatitla could be freed to roam the streets.

DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis told Fox, “This monster set fire to a building and watched as innocent people, including a three-year-old, burned to death. New York City sanctuary politicians REFUSE to cooperate with ICE and are choosing to RELEASE this MURDERER onto New York streets.”

Bis added:

New York’s sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety. Releasing this monster from jail is insanity and will allow him to commit more crimes and create more innocent victims. We are calling on Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani to not release this public safety threat.

Amatitla was charged with eight counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson in the arson attack on March 16 in Flushing that left four people dead and seven others injured.

The illegal is accused of going in and out of the building several times and urinating outside. He allegedly stole beer, matches, and a lighter from a nearby gas station before returning to the apartment building and setting the place on fire.

Video footage showed the horrific blaze as firefighters worked to put it out:

In July, Breitbart News reported DHS had overseen a huge surge in detainer requests for criminal illegal aliens in New York City, which is a sanctuary city. The outlet reported in December that then-Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said New York City was harboring 7,169 known criminal illegal aliens.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, has vowed to defend the “right” of illegals to live in his city, and also advised them on how to “stand up” to ICE agents, according to Breitbart News.

According to CBS New York, Amatitla did not flee the scene when the fire started, but stood nearby drinking beer and watching the building burn:

Per the recent Fox report, DHS said that an executive order of Mamdani’s shields criminal illegals, which in turn allows them to reoffend.

“Mamdani’s action came after Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul’s legislative proposal to bar local police departments from partnering and cooperating with ICE enforcement,” the outlet said.