ICE Lodges Detainer After Cockpit Storming Attempt on United Flight

On November 9, Rony Alexander Gomez-Alberto, an illegal alien from Honduras, attempted to storm the cockpit of a United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to New Orleans, claiming to have a bomb. The aircraft landed safely, and authorities took him into custody and charged him with felony bomb threat, terroristic threats, and disorderly conduct. A day later, on November 10, ICE lodged a detainer asking local authorities not to release him without notifying the agency first.

The case has an immigration history that is drawing as much attention as the incident itself. Gomez-Alberto had already been deported twice. He entered the country illegally a third time and claimed asylum. A judge granted that claim after he said he was transgender, allowing him to remain in the United States.

"This criminal illegal alien attempted to storm the cockpit, hijack a plane, and claimed he had a bomb. Thanks to law enforcement, he is now behind bars," said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. "This twice-deported criminal illegal alien was allowed into our country because of a weak asylum system that allowed him to game the system."

Mullin added: "Under President Trump's leadership, ICE has arrested 2,312 known or suspected terrorists and is strengthening our asylum system to put the safety of the American citizens first and crack down on fraudsters who try to game the system."

What do the enforcement numbers show?

From January 20, 2025, to November 10, 2026, ICE has arrested 2,312 known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) and deported 2,157 of them, according to DHS figures released with the statement.

The department frames the cockpit incident as the sharpest possible illustration of why it has moved to tighten the asylum process. DHS and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) say they have taken swift action under the Trump administration to secure the system and crack down on fraud.

How is DHS targeting asylum fraud?

In May, DHS issued a directive instructing ICE to take additional steps against fraudulent asylum claims. The directive calls for anti-fraud policies that further enforce 8 U.S.C. § 1324c(d), the statute establishing penalties for document fraud violations. ICE attorneys now carry greater authority under that law, including enforcement actions against immigration attorneys who file false asylum claims in immigration court.

Beyond § 1324c(d), asylum fraud can also be prosecuted as a felony under 18 U.S.C. § 1546 and 18 U.S.C. § 1001.

The directive arrives alongside a string of cases DHS points to as evidence the system was being exploited at scale.

What recent prosecutions does DHS cite?

• Florida, October 29, 2026: Five Cuban aliens and one U.S. citizen were sentenced for an international conspiracy involving alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering that brought thousands of aliens illegally into the United States. The U.S. Attorney General initially announced charges last year against 12 individuals in a superseding indictment. Court documents describe a small operation that grew into a commercial enterprise. The defendants ran a sham immigration business, Asesoria Y Servicios Migratorios LLC, promising asylum filings, work permits, and lawful permanent residency applications. The company churned out boilerplate asylum claims without clients' knowledge or consent and blocked them from their own USCIS online accounts. Several other individuals have been convicted and sentenced in connection with the investigation.

• Huang and Du, indicted September 2026: Biqi "Ashley" Huang, 25, faces one count of making a false statement in a naturalization proceeding and one count of fraudulent acquisition of a firearm. Wentian Du, 35, faces one count of being an alien in possession of a firearm. Huang entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2023 and obtained lawful permanent resident status after misrepresenting her marital status during a 2025 Green Card interview. Du entered in 2022 on a B1/B2 nonimmigrant visa and applied for asylum about a year later. In June, Huang moved to New York, met Du, and applied to join the U.S. Air Force, telling a recruiter she wanted to enlist to obtain citizenship quickly, divorce her current spouse, and marry Du.

• First ATRC removal, September 2026: Nazira Haji Zada, 47, an Afghan national previously living in Fort Worth, Texas, was removed from the United States after conceding she is an alien terrorist — the first-ever case before the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court. Zada supported a plot to commit an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were previously arrested and convicted in connection with the plot. She is now permanently inadmissible to the U.S.

Tampa, August 2026: Yuniel Lima-Santos, 31, pleaded guilty to alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering. He conspired with others to encourage thousands of Cuban aliens to enter the United States using fraudulent ESTA applications and visa waivers, advertising bogus visa services across multiple social media platforms. Lima-Santos helped move aliens from their countries of origin into the U.S., purchasing international and domestic flights to transport them.

Chicago, May 2026: Jose Gregorio Sosa Cardona, a suburban Chicago businessman, was sentenced to nine years in prison for immigration fraud, possessing child pornography, and tax fraud. His firm, Delta Global Solutions, Inc., assisted clients applying for asylum, immigrant visas, and green cards. From 2020 to 2024, Sosa Cardona and two employees knowingly fed false information to USCIS, fabricating foreign law enforcement reports and foreign political party membership letters to corroborate clients' asylum claims.

What does USCIS screening catch?

USCIS screening and vetting also surfaces individuals who pose public-safety or national-security concerns. Edwin Antonio Hernandez, 27, of El Salvador, was arrested in January 2026 during a USCIS appointment after the screening of his asylum and employment authorization applications flagged his criminal history and immigration status. He had entered the U.S. unlawfully and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2017. In custody, Hernandez admitted to being an MS-13 member and confessed to murdering five people in El Salvador by shooting, torture, stabbing, and dismemberment.

The Newark-New Orleans case is now in the criminal courts, while the detainer keeps Gomez-Alberto within ICE's reach should local custody end — and DHS says the anti-fraud enforcement behind these prosecutions will continue to expand.