Trump’s border czar criticizes Gov. Hochul for boasting about improved subway safety following an incident where an illegal migrant reportedly set a passenger ablaze.
President-elect Donald Trump’s straightforward border czar Tom Homan criticized New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for claiming on X that she had enhanced subway safety just hours after an illegal migrant reportedly set a sleeping passenger on fire on a F train.
The individual charged with murder had previously been sent back to Guatemala but managed to re-enter the United States, taking advantage of the city’s shelter services, which operate under protective regulations.
“Governor Hochul, shame on you. There’s nothing you can say that’s going to make this right in New York,” Homan said on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning as he ripped Hochul for supporting sanctuary laws and welcoming “thousands of illegal aliens to her state.”
The office of Hochul highlighted a reduction in subway crime in a tweet that seemed poorly timed, arriving just hours after the tragic fire incident.
The suspect, a disturbed individual named Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, faces serious charges of murder and arson in connection with this shocking incident. A man was taken into custody on Sunday for reportedly setting a sleeping subway passenger ablaze on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station, then heartlessly observing as she succumbed to the flames.
Shocking images from the purported incident depict him nonchalantly standing with his hands tucked into his hoodie pockets while the female victim was consumed by flames — MTA surveillance footage even captures him seemingly fanning the flames with a T-shirt.
“Here’s another example of an illegal alien killing an American citizen. It’s almost a daily occurrence now, because a historic number of criminal aliens are walking the streets, because of this administration’s policy in sanctuary jurisdictions and lax immigration enforcement,” said Homan, who recently met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams to discuss the migration issue.
In 2018, Zapeta-Calil made an unauthorized entry into the US at the Arizona border, but was apprehended shortly after and returned to their home country.
He subsequently made his way back across the border, evading federal agents and navigating north to the five boroughs — though the duration of his stay in the city prior to the tragic F train incident on Sunday remains uncertain, according to sources.
In April, Zapeta-Calil found himself staying at a Days Inn on 36th Street, repurposed as one of the four shelters supported by taxpayer funds in the city.
