Deporting NYC migrants is necessary to curb crime surge
After being released following the mob attack on two police officers in Times Square, a teenage migrant was arrested again, this time for shoplifting at the Queens Center Mall. New Yorkers are puzzled as to how he was able to walk free, and remain in the country.
Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19, was arrested for allegedly participating in a coordinated robbery of a Macy’s store in Queens. District Attorney Melinda Katz is expected to take stricter action than Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to ensure he is jailed.
The young Venezuelan “asylum seeker” is charged with acting in concert with four others to shoplift clothes and hide them in bags.
Despite his lack of a permanent address or community ties, Bragg did not oppose his release without bail after the Times Square cop-attack. The severity of the charges and his status as a flight risk would have allowed for bail-or-jail.
Another migrant teen, Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa, has been charged as an adult and is being held at Rikers for allegedly shooting a tourist during an attempted robbery in Times Square.
With regard to deportation, President Biden has granted millions of illegal border-crossers “humanitarian parole” while their asylum claims are processed. However, immigration law states that “violation of any condition of parole may lead to termination of the parole.”
Deportation proceedings can only be initiated once a criminal case is concluded.
Venezuelan gangs like Tren de Aragua are exploiting such loopholes and taking advantage of the “reformed” criminal justice systems like that of New York.
The NYPD has no access to the criminal history, photos, or cellphones of these criminals, making them “ghosts,” says Police Commissioner Edward Caban. New York’s sanctuary policies also prevent police from working with federal immigration enforcement agencies.
If Tren de Aragua teams up with MS-13, a notorious Salvadoran gang with ties to Mexican cartels and a deadly presence on Long Island, the migrant-crime situation will only worsen, creating a gathering storm.
Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul should not wait for the storm to hit. They should push federal immigration authorities to expedite deportation proceedings for migrants who plead guilty or are convicted, and demand local lawmakers review sanctuary rules and other reforms that gangs exploit.
Gomez-Izquiel and his compatriots are guests in our city and country, yet they have rejected our hospitality. For that, they must be deported as quickly as possible.
