December 8, 2025 – Last week, the City of New York’s Department of Investigation released a memorandum outlining five incidents where an NYPD officer violated laws that limit assistance with civil immigration enforcement. They also announced that the NYPD has accepted recommendations for improvement. Documented’s feature story, Arrested by the NYPD but Not Prosecuted, They’re Now Imprisoned in El Salvador, which was published in partnership with THE CITY and exposes the role that the NYPD played in the detention and deportation of Merwil Gutiérrez Flores, was cited in the memorandum as an incident informing this policy shift.
Read more: From El Salvador’s CECOT Prison to His Family’s Arms
“As immigration enforcement ramps up across New York, Documented remains dedicated to keeping a strong pulse on the experiences of immigrant communities and illuminating their unique challenges,” said Documented’s editor-in-chief Ethar El-Katatney. “We are proud our reporting serves as a critical resource for policymakers and elected officials who shape our city’s future.”
Per the memorandum:
你知道吗？非公民办理驾照时的这个错误可能会导致选民欺诈
“The first article reports on the detention and deportation of 19-year-old Merwil Gutiérrez Flores. It reports that Mr. Gutiérrez Flores was arrested by the NYPD on February 24, 2025 and detained in the Bronx on firearm charges, but was never prosecuted. A DHS press release cited in the story states that Mr. Gutiérrez Flores was arrested during a joint operation between the FBI and the NYPD. A DHS document cited in the story shows that, about 24 hours after Mr. Gutiérrez Flores’s arrest, the FBI turned him over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) pursuant to a ‘Warrant for the Arrest of Alien.’ The story reports that Mr. Gutiérrez Flores, a Venezuelan national, was later deported to the Terrorism Confinement Center (“CECOT”) in El Salvador. When asked for comment on the story, the NYPD stated as follows: ‘In this matter, the NYPD, as part of an FBI task force, was solely engaged in a criminal investigation. The NYPD had no involvement in any civil immigration enforcement related to this case. The NYPD does not engage in civil immigration enforcement, period. As it has for many years, the NYPD works with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies on criminal enforcement matters, including work.’”
Documented broke the first story on Gutiérrez Flores’ wrongful detention and deportation, resulting in the Department of Homeland Security releasing Gutiérrez Flores’ records for the first time. Documented recently expanded its newsroom to bring on a reporter dedicated to coverage of immigration enforcement in order to meet audience needs. You can learn more about Documented’s reporting on this story via Democracy Now!
Documented is a New York based nonprofit newsroom dedicated to coverage of the city’s immigrant communities. The outlet provides original, responsive reporting and actionable resource guides in English, Spanish, Chinese and Haitian Creole, representing a radically different community-driven approach to journalism and information that impacts the everyday experiences of immigrants.
