That is 7.7% of the 759,218 illegal migrants living in the Big Apple, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement noted. Additionally, 1,053 of those migrants are “suspected or known gang members.”
“In New York City, it would take a lifetime to clear the city of the criminals that we have,” Kenneth Genalo, head of ICE’s New York City office, told the New York Post.
Thanks to a law signed by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014, local police officers are barred from working with federal authorities to deport criminals from the country. In 2018, de Blasio went further by codifying the rule in NYPD protocol.
Mayor Eric Adams, an outspoken critic of the Biden administration’s handling of the migrant crisis, has repeatedly called for the New York City Council to loosen sanctuary laws to go after criminals.
“Mayor Adams has repeatedly said that while we will continue to respect our city’s sanctuary laws, we must also have a serious conversation about the small number of individuals who repeatedly commit violent crimes in our city and the consequences they face,” mayoral spokesperson Kayla Mamelak told the outlet.
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In June, Democratic Councilman Robert Holden and Republican Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli co-sponsored legislation that would roll back protections for migrants who committed or are accused of committing a crime, but the bill stalled.
Nationwide, it is estimated that more than 662,000 illegal migrants face criminal charges or have been convicted. In addition to New York City, cities such as Denver and Chicago have been overwhelmed by gangs such as Tren de Aragua.
