The sanctuary city of New York released almost 180 criminal illegal aliens onto the streets in the first four months of 2017, despite pleas by immigration officials to hold the suspected criminals in custody.

In a revealing report by the New York Post, 179 illegal aliens who were arrested by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for various crimes were then released back onto the streets, as the City continues enforcing the sanctuary city policies of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Of those 179 illegal aliens accused of crimes, the NYPD did not comply with any Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers. ICE detainers request local and state law enforcement agencies to hold an illegal alien suspect of a crime until they can be properly transferred to federal authorities. The NYPD does not comply with any ICE detainers, no matter how heinous the crime is that the illegal alien is accused of.

“We have complied with zero federal detainer requests this year,’’ NYPD Police Commissioner James O’Neill said in a budget hearing. “We strongly feel that it is not the role of a municipal police force to enforce federal immigration laws.”

“To turn our NYPD officers into de facto U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents is to undo much of the highly commendable work we have achieved over the years,” O’Neill continued.

The number of ICE detainers on criminal illegal aliens refused by the NYPD in the first four months of 2017 more than doubled the 79 detainers refused by the NYPD in all of 2016.

As Breitbart Texas reported, one in five illegal aliens living in the U.S. live in either New York City or Los Angeles, California, the most lenient cities when it comes to illegal aliens who commit crimes. A staggering 1.5 million illegal aliens are expected to live in the New York City and northern New Jersey region.

In addition, during an ICE raid which arrested 41 criminal illegal aliens in New York City, one illegal alien was involved with the MS-13 gang, as Breitbart Texas reported. Other criminal illegal aliens were previously charged with rape of children, burglaries, sex crimes, drunk driving and drug distribution.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.