A migrant convicted of assaulting a Times Square police officer grinned in court as the judge sentenced him to 12 months in prison.
Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel agreed to a plea deal for his involvement in a violent attack on two police officers on January 27.
Six accomplices were also arrested in connection with the crime. They were all migrants.
The crime came against a backdrop of rising numbers of immigrants being detained, and criminal justice insiders say they are furious about New York City’s sanctuary laws that prohibit agents from working with ICE on cases involving illegal immigrants.
Initially, many suspects evaded custody. Some were rearrested for other crimes and held behind bars amid a wave of outrage over the relaxed bail conditions that freed them.
A migrant convicted of assaulting a Times Square police officer grinned in court as a judge sentenced him to 12 months in prison
Wearing a headset and a beige prison uniform, Gomez-Izquiel was pictured grinning during the hearing
On Tuesday, Gomez-Izquiel appeared in a Manhattan courtroom, where a judge ordered him to serve 365 days in custody. Wearing a headset and a beige prison robe, Gomez-Izquiel was pictured grinning during the hearing.
In late July, the 19-year-old agreed to the deal, in exchange for pleading guilty to second-degree assault in exchange for a year on the notorious Rikers Island.
One of his co-defendants has also reached a plea agreement, while five other cases, involving Ulises Bohorquez, Yohenry Brito, Edgarlis Vegas, Wilson Juarez and Yorman Reveron, are still pending.
Gomez-Izquiel had arrived in the United States only five months before taking part in this attack.
On Tuesday, Gomez-Izquiel appeared in Manhattan court, where a judge ordered that he serve 365 days in custody
Police Benevolent Association chairman Patrick Hendry previously said The Post the sentence ‘must absolutely be longer.’
‘The main test will come once his sentence is over.
“He should be deported immediately upon his release, without setting foot on the streets of our city again.”
The 19-year-old agreed to the deal, which would see him plead guilty to second-degree assault in exchange for a year-long stay on the notorious Rikers Island
New York Police Chief John Chell is advocating for changes to asylum city laws that would give police the freedom to cooperate with ICE if a migrant is convicted of a violent crime.
Currently, sanctuary cities’ policies aim to encourage migrants to report crimes if they are victims or witnesses, without fear of deportation.
Chell said, “Most of them are here for the American dream, but there’s a small portion that’s not.
“We don’t care what your status is. If you commit a violent crime, there should be consequences.”
“We just expect local government to change the laws so that ultimately we can all keep people safe.”
Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel agreed to a plea deal for his involvement in a violent attack on two police officers on January 27. Six accomplices, all migrants, were also arrested in connection with the crime.
It comes amid recent reports that migrant crime is on the rise in the U.S., with up to 75 percent of arrests in Midtown Manhattan for crimes including assault, robbery and domestic violence involving migrants, according to The Post.
The publication quoted an anonymous judicial official as saying: “Come on Monday! Almost every case is a migrant.”
“I think about 75 percent of the arrests in Midtown Manhattan are immigrants, primarily for robberies, assaults, domestic violence and selling counterfeit goods,” said a Midtown officer.
The anonymous source said: ‘You can’t be 100% sure [they’re migrants] Unless you arrest them at a shelter or they’re stupid enough to give you the address of a shelter.’
Gomez-Izquiel was arrested outside a migrant shelter on West 42nd Street. The fight began when the group was asked to leave the area.
According to police, he “grabbed” one officer and “kicked” another.