NY Gov. Kathy Hochul suggests DEPORTING migrants who were allowed to walk free on no bail after beating cops in NYC’s Times Square
New York Governor Kathy Hochul continued her about-face on the border crisis, saying the state should consider deporting a group of migrants who were released on bail after attacking two agents in Times Square.
Four men were all charged with assault on a police officer, gang assault, obstruction of government administration and disorderly conduct, but were released without bail.
A fifth, Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested on Monday evening and charged with attempted assault on a police officer and gang assault.
Democrat Governor Hochul was asked at an event on Wednesday whether the migrants and perpetrators like them should face deportation.
“I think that’s actually something that needs to be looked at,” Hochul responded.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul continued her anti-migrant U-turn, saying the state should consider deporting a group of migrants who were released on bail after attacking two officers in Times Square.
Four men were all charged with assault on a police officer, gang assault, obstruction of government administration and disorderly conduct, but were released without bail.
“I mean, if someone commits a crime against a police officer in New York State and he/she is not here legally, then it’s certainly worth investigating,” she said.
“These are law enforcement officers who should not be physically attacked under any circumstances,” Hochul added. “It is wrong on every level and I expect judges and prosecutors to do the right thing.”
Her words followed Republican elected officials making angry statements about the attacks.
“The city is refusing to cooperate with federal detention and deportation requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” said Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican congresswoman who represents Staten Island.
“At a minimum, Republicans, Democrats and Independents must agree that migrants who attack our police or commit crimes in our country should be immediately deported and that any future immigration applications should be denied,” she added.
NYPD Patrol Chief John Chell added that the attack was “reprehensible” and said the migrants belonged in jail.
The incident began Saturday evening around 8:30 PM on West 42nd Street, when officers ordered the violent quartet men to move.
At that point, a fight broke out between a suspect in a yellow sweatshirt and the police officers.
The gang is said to have struck after police asked them to keep moving. The suspected attackers were later arrested and subsequently released without bail
Democrat Governor Hochul was asked at an event on Wednesday whether the migrants and perpetrators like them should face deportation. Pictured: Migrants on Randall’s Island
Migrants arrive at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City
According to the NYPD, the migrants then began attacking the officers, kicking them in the head and body, while the two officers tried to pin one of the other men down and remove his sweatshirt.
The migrants then ran away, leaving the unidentified police officers on the ground as they fled east on 42nd Street toward Seventh Avenue.
Around 10:44 p.m. that evening, four of them — Darwin Andres Gomez Izquiel, 19, Kelvin Servat Arocha, 19, Juarez Wilson, 21, and Yorman Reveron, 24 — were arrested.
They were all charged with assault on a police officer, gang assault, obstruction of governmental administration and disorderly conduct, but were released without bail.
Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested Monday evening and charged with attempted assault on a police officer and gang assault.
He was seen as a perpetrator walking into Manhattan Criminal Court that evening.
Three of the men – Izquiel, Arocha and Wilson, 21 – were released on recognizance, meaning they were released without bail while their cases were pending.
Reveron, 24, was released on supervised release without bail.
Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested Monday night and charged with attempted assault on a police officer and gang assault after the shocking raid in New York City
Hochul’s words followed Republican elected officials releasing statements outraged by the attacks and continued a reversal of her 2021 comment telling migrants: ‘You are welcome here’
On Wednesday evening, Jhoan Boada was also released without bail because he has no criminal history.
But it is understood the district attorney’s office is now investigating additional footage they did not have when the asylum seekers were charged and released.
It is believed investigators are using new information and witness statements to determine the specific role of each suspect in the attack, which took place on Saturday.
The spokesperson for the public prosecutor said: ‘Violence against police officers is never acceptable.
“It is of the utmost importance that we can definitively identify each suspect and specify the role of each participant in the incident.
“Every defendant charged to date faces a criminal offense punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Reveron, the oldest of the arrested men, already has two open cases for assault and theft in Manhattan.
A Nordstrom Rack employee caught him in November trying to take an item worth $130 before allegedly “pushing, hitting and biting” them.
He also allegedly punched a loss prevention officer at the famed Herald Square Macy’s while trying to commit a robbery with two other suspects.
New York has come under fire for progressive laws aimed at sending people who can’t afford bail to languish in jail for months.
Critics say this has led to a spike in the number of violent criminals released straight back onto the streets – and encouraged them to reoffend, knowing there will be little consequence.
Boada, who has yet to have a court hearing, was escorted by an officer while wearing handcuffs and a Lakers t-shirt.
New York remains one of the epicenters of the country’s migrant crisis
Migrants gather outside a shelter on Randall’s Island on January 19
Hochul once welcomed asylum seekers with “open arms” and promised to house them, but is now starting to let migrants “go elsewhere” because the city is on the border.
The Democrat addressed the migrant crisis in September, warning that asylum seekers arriving in New York City will not be housed in hotel rooms as in the past.
“We need to make it known that if you come to New York, you won’t have more hotel rooms, we don’t have capacity,” Hochul said on CNN. ‘So we must also make it clear that we have reached the limit: if you are going to leave your country, go somewhere else.’
It’s a stunning reversal from her statements in December 2021, when she pledged to house and protect asylum seekers — before thousands of migrants arrived each month from southern border states. More than 113,000 migrants have arrived in the city since last spring.
“As you know, there is an inscription on the Statue of Liberty. It says: give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, longing to be free,” Hochul said earlier. “You are welcome with open arms and we will do our best to keep you safe… Not only will we house you, but we will protect you.”
The city has a legal obligation to provide shelter for those who come there, and Mayor Eric Adams has desperately turned to a variety of city landmarks, such as hotels, makeshift shelters and temporary housing, as short-term solutions.
The attack comes as New York City struggles under the weight of tens of thousands of migrants in need of places to stay and other accommodations.
In 2023 alone, the city had to deal with the arrival of more than 100,000 migrants.
New York Mayor Eric Adams has called for state and federal aid as it is estimated that the migrant crisis will cost the city $12 billion over the next three years – an amount that the Hochul administration will likely try to offset somewhat with the new work plan.
New York is a Right to Shelter state and is required to house asylum seekers, but shelters have been filling up at an astronomical rate.
In Manhattan, a number of historic hotels have been converted into makeshift shelters and temporary housing.