U.S. President Donald Trump's "border czar" Tom Homan pauses while being interviewed on TV at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 14, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
(New York, NY) – An undocumented Mexican national is accused of setting an apartment building on fire, that killed four people including a three year old girl. The blaze happened on March 16 in Flushing. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz says 38-year-old Roman Ceron Amatitla is responsible for the fire. Katz claims on the day he set the fire, he was going in and out of the building, going to a nearby gas station where he bought one beer, and stole a second one. He lit a piece of paper on fire and tossed it onto trash.
This week, ICE requested the New York City Department of Corrections release Amatitla into their custody. NYCDOC refused the orders in compliance with the state’s sanctuary policies. DHS officials confirmed Amatitla is not documented, however it is not clear when or where he entered the country.
