Bombshell claim: Nearly 75% of arrests in Midtown are from illegal immigrants flooding the city

NEW YORK CITY, NY - With illegal immigrants flooding the city and sanctuary city laws handcuffing officers from doing their jobs, police sources shared with the New York Post that they estimate as many as 75 percent of the people they've been arresting in recent months in Midtown Manhattan are illegal immigrants. 

These individuals have been arrested for crimes like assault, robbery, and domestic violence. In parts of Queens, the estimate is around 60 percent, as reported by the police sources. On any given day, the city criminal court dockets are packed with illegal immigrants who have been breaking the law. As an example, 31-year-old Jefferson Maldenado, an illegal immigrant from Ecuador, has been arrested five times since arriving in the U.S. earlier this year.

His latest arrest was for stealing a pair of pants and a beer from the Target near Herald Square. When he was questioned to why he committed the crime he said, "I wanted to change my clothes and think. I wanted to sit down and think about my life, about what to do because this is not a normal world." He was one of five illegal immigrants in a Manhattan courtroom for arraignment last week.

Across the city, recently arrived immigrants who have illegally crossed the borders to this country are flooding the criminal justice system at allegedly far higher rates than public officials have acknowledged. 

The issue is made much worse by sanctuary city laws that prevent officers from working on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on cases in which they believe the suspects are in the country illegally. Additionally, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said that it is barred from tracking the immigration status of offenders. 

Experts and sources with boots on the ground say that those things mentioned above make it nearly impossible for authorities to get a handle on the problem. Jim Quinn, a veteran former prosecutor at the Queens District Attorney's Office, told the Post, "New York City eliminated a tool to get rid of violent criminals. What a mess. The sanctuary city law is pathetic. It's disgusting. It's crazy."

Police sources said that what makes matters worse is that word has gotten out in the migrant shelters about the city's sanctuary laws, which could mean that those who are looking to commit crimes know that they will get put back out on the streets shortly after being arrested, without facing any consequences.

A City Hall spokesman pointed to Mayor Eric Adams' previous calls for the City Council to change the sanctuary city laws. Recently, Adams said, "Right now, we don't have the authorization to be able to go and coordinate with ICE. We have to follow the law." Adams' office also said that the city is working with the Midtown Improvement Coalition to better police in the neighborhood.

An NYPD spokesperson said overall crime is down so far this year compared to last year and added, "New Yorkers can count on the NYPD's ongoing vigilance in every neighborhood." The spokesperson also noted, "Police officers are prohibited from asking about the immigration status of crime victims, witnesses, or suspects and therefore the NYPD doesn't track data pertaining to immigration statuses."

Unfortunately, the only people who have a full understanding of the scale of the issue are the police officers and court workers who see it every single day. One Midtown officer said, "I would say about 75 percent of the arrests in Midtown Manhattan are migrants, mostly for robberies, assaults, domestic incidents, and selling counterfeit items."

He said that the figure is an estimate because "you can't be 100 percent sure [they're migrants] unless you arrest them in a shelter or they're dumb enough to give you a shelter address." Another Manhattan cop said that excluding petty larcenies at drugstores, the number of local arrests involving illegal immigrants is "easily 75 percent," noting that most who get caught shoplifting go more for the pricey branded goods.

He said, "They can't be bothered with lower-end stores. They like Lululemon and Sunglass Hut," adding that illegal immigrants are behind "most" of the pickpocketing and phone and chain snatches the NYPD is encountering. The problem is visible in Queens courts, too. A law enforcement officer at the Queens Criminal Courthouse told the Post, "There are days we have so many migrant cases, we have to call in for extra Spanish interpreters."

Another court officer said, "Come on Mondays! Almost every case is a migrant." While many of the crimes are domestic incidents or petty thefts, others are far more heinous, sometimes involving gang violence or vicious sexual assaults." Additionally, Tren de Aragua, the violent Venezuelan gang is wreaking havoc around the country, has infiltrated NYC and is already tied to hundreds of crimes, including the shootings of two NYPD officers last June.

One law enforcement source said, "Most of the people we arrest are professionals. These aren't their first crimes." The officer added, "Crime would be down significantly if there was a wall and we could account for everyone who comes into the country. And more importantly, throw them out if they commit a crime."