Listen to the article
Four-Time Deported Honduran National Faces Charges After Subway Attack on Air Force Veteran
A Honduran man with an extensive criminal history who has been deported four times is now in custody after allegedly pushing two men onto New York City subway tracks in an unprovoked attack. One victim, 83-year-old Air Force veteran Richard Williams, remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed Wednesday that they have lodged a detainer against Bairon Posada-Hernandez, 34, following his arrest. The second victim in the attack reportedly suffered minor injuries.
According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records, Posada-Hernandez first entered the United States in 2008 and was subsequently deported four separate times, with the most recent deportation occurring in July 2020. He re-entered the country for a fifth time at an unknown location and date.
Cell phone footage captured at the scene shows Posada-Hernandez calmly walking away after pushing the first victim. A bystander can be seen attempting to help this individual before Posada-Hernandez spontaneously shoved Williams onto the tracks as well.
“Bairon Posada-Herandez is a serial criminal, and four-time deported illegal alien from Honduras who should never have been able to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans,” said DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “We are praying for the victims and their families.”
At the time of the subway incident, Posada-Hernandez already had a lengthy criminal record including at least 15 prior charges for crimes such as aggravated assault, domestic violence, weapon possession, obstruction of police, simple assault, and drug possession.
The NYC Department of Correction’s custody database indicates that Posada-Hernandez was given a $100,000 bail following his arrest on Wednesday for First Degree Assault, a Class B Felony, though some reports suggest he may also face attempted murder charges.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between federal immigration authorities and local sanctuary policies. In February, DHS condemned New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for signing an Executive Order that DHS characterized as “turning New York City into a shield for violent criminal illegal aliens to reoffend and create more innocent victims.”
This criticism came shortly after New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed legislation barring local police departments from cooperating with ICE, further straining relationships between state and federal authorities regarding immigration enforcement.
According to DHS data from February, more than 7,110 individuals without legal immigration status were in New York custody with active ICE detainers. This includes individuals accused of serious crimes including homicide (148), assault (717), burglaries (134), robberies (240), dangerous drug offenses (235), weapons offenses (152), and sexual offenses (260).
The incident occurs amid broader national debates about immigration policy and border security. DHS reports that under President Joe Biden’s administration, approximately 5% of the entire population of Honduras has entered the United States.
Bis stated that DHS is “calling upon New York sanctuary politicians to commit to this ICE detainer and not release this heinous criminal back into New York communities.”
When contacted by reporters, the New York City Department of Correction did not directly answer questions about whether they would honor ICE’s detainer against Posada-Hernandez, instead referring to their publicly available custody database.
As Williams continues fighting for his life in the hospital, the case has renewed attention to the intersection of immigration policy, public safety, and the ongoing challenges of cooperation between different levels of government in addressing criminal cases involving individuals with complex immigration histories.
Fact Checker
Verify the accuracy of this article using The Disinformation Commission analysis and real-time sources.
7 Comments
Tragic that an elderly veteran was the victim of this senseless attack allegedly carried out by an illegal immigrant with a violent past. This case underscores the importance of robust border security and efficient deportation procedures to keep dangerous individuals from entering or re-entering the country.
Disturbing to hear about this latest attack by an illegal immigrant with a long criminal history. While the details are still emerging, it’s clear that more needs to be done to protect law-abiding citizens from repeat offenders who slip through the cracks of our immigration system.
I’m appalled that someone with such a long criminal history was able to evade deportation and re-enter the country to attack innocent people. Public safety should be the top priority when dealing with illegal immigrants with violent records.
Deporting someone four times and then having them return to commit more crimes is unacceptable. This highlights the urgent need for tougher enforcement of our immigration laws and better coordination between federal agencies to keep dangerous individuals out of the country.
This is a deeply troubling case. Four deportations and the suspect still managed to illegally re-enter the country and commit a violent crime against an elderly veteran. The immigration system clearly needs reform to better address repeat offenders like this.
While the details are still unfolding, it’s disheartening to see another case of an illegal immigrant accused of harming American citizens. We need to have an honest discussion about how to prevent these kinds of tragedies from happening again.
Heartbreaking to see a military veteran brutalized in this way. The fact that the suspect had already been deported multiple times is deeply concerning and speaks to gaps in our immigration enforcement that need to be addressed urgently.