ICE arrests illegal alien 'mole man' who emerged from NYC sewer following release by judge

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a Venezuelan national who was previously released by a New York City judge after he was charged with emerging from a Manhattan sewer. The man was reportedly part of the “mole man” trend, where individuals look for valuables in the sewer system.

25-year-old Samuel Reveron Ascanio was taken into ICE custody after being released. ICE said Reveron entered the country illegally and had a federal arrest warrant at the time of his September 24 arrest.

The case started when the NYPD received a 911 call reporting three men emerging from a manhole in Manhattan. The report prompted concern, as it was near the United Nations General Assembly and close to the hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to stay.

Reveron Ascanio and another man, identified as a Queens resident, were arrested and charged with criminal trespassing. A third man remained unidentified. According to the criminal complaint, the men said they were looking for “valuables that get washed away in the storm drains and sewers.”

The sewer arrest came two days after a federal arrest warrant was issued. That warrant stemmed from an earlier incident in which Reveron Ascanio was arrested for removing parts from a U-Haul van.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo told the New York Post, “New York City had a clear opportunity to transfer this individual to ICE in a secure, controlled environment.”

“Instead, the city recklessly released him despite his repeated arrests and unresolved criminal charges — a choice that needlessly returned an alleged public-safety threat to the streets. . . . ICE will not allow noncooperation to deter us from enforcing federal immigration law and protecting our communities.”

An ICE spokesperson said that ICE is “working diligently to remove these often violent, dangerous offenders from our communities."