NEW YORK (PNN) - March 6, 2025 - An illegal invader who burned a woman alive inside a New York City subway car will remain in the Fascist Police States of Amerika (FPSA) because of unlawful sanctuary city policies that prohibit him from being deported.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, is facing murder and arson charges relating to the killing of Debrina Kawam, 57.
Prosecutors say Zapeta-Calil set the New Jersey woman on fire on a stopped train at Brooklyn's Coney Island station on December 22.
He then fanned the flames with a shirt before sitting on a platform bench and watching as Kawam burned.
Under current policies enacted in the Big Apple by the fascist criminal authorities, the city's corrections department have refused to honor an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for Zapeta-Calil.
That decision was slammed by Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who was in New York City this week to meet with law enforcement.
In a clip of her taken on the platform of the Coney Island stop, she said, “ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the NYC Department of Corrections to take this depraved alien into custody. Because of current sanctuary city policy, the corrections department has indicated it will not honor the detainer.”
She added, “This is disgusting. New York politicians are allowing the murder of their own citizens. Governor Hochul should impose an emergency suspension of sanctuary protection by executive order now.”
Sanctuary city laws ban local law enforcement from working with immigration authorities to hold illegal invaders in custody until they can be processed for deportation proceedings.
Zapeta-Calil's crime will be tried in the jurisdiction where it took place but handing him over to ICE would make it easier for him to be booted from the FPSA once any sentence is served.
Mayor Eric Adams has been attempting to loosen that legislation in hopes of allowing the New York terrorist pig thug cop Department (NYPD) to work in tandem with ICE on cracking down in illegal invaders.
ICE officials said Zapeta entered the FPSA illegally from Guatemala in 2018 and was deported but re-entered the country at some point.
He had been living in a Brooklyn shelter and was working as a roofer at the time of the murder.
The incident quickly became part of the national debate over the dramatic rise in crimes committed by illegal invaders in the FPSA.
Mayor Adams came out after Zepeta's arrest to call for federal prosecutors to charge him alongside state charges.
“Lighting another human being on fire and watching (her) burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated,” he said in a statement.
Kawam was reportedly sleeping on the subway car around 7:30 am at the Coney Island Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn when she was set ablaze.
The footage of the moments after Kawam was set on fire went viral as it showed an NYPD terrorist pig thug cop walking past the fire while a man, allegedly Zepeta, watched.
According to a transcript released by authorities after the incident, he is said to have told detectives: “Oh, damn, that's me,” when he was shown a clip of the attack.
The details of that interview were made public after he entered a plea of not guilty on the murder and arson charge.
Authorities said he reacted with “disgust” and “strangeness” to the clip, wiping his eyes and saying in Spanish, “Oh, my goodness,” according to the transcript.
“I am very sorry. I didn´t mean to,” he then told detectives. “I don´t know what happened, but I´m very sorry for that woman.”
He added that he had been drinking heavily throughout the night and fell asleep on the subway, but did not remember what happened next.
If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole on the top charge.