What the Migrant Beating of NYPD Cops Says About New York

February 12, 2024

By William Davis

By now, many Americans have seen the disturbing video of illegal aliens brutally assaulting members of the New York Police Department, in what can only be described as a sad culmination of the city’s anti-borders lawlessness. 

In any serious country, foreign nationals who were in the country illegally and proceeded to assault police officers would be immediately jailed and then deported. Unfortunately, that’s not how things work in New York City. Due to New York’s sanctuary and soft-on-crime policies, the aliens were immediately released from custody without even having to post bail, and one of them felt emboldened enough to make an obscene gesture at the cameras. The aliens were later reportedly apprehended in Arizona. This entire saga is the fulfillment of the anti-borders ideology that has swept up much of the country in recent years.

The reason these illegal aliens felt they could illegally enter our country, break our laws, and then flip us off is because they believe they are above the law, and in New York, they are. In 2022, an investigation by the Immigration Reform Law Institute found that New York was America’s most dangerous sanctuary city, and the situation in the Big Apple has only deteriorated since then as Joe Biden has flooded the U.S. with millions of illegal aliens. 

The fact that these illegal aliens were released into the country in the first place is a disgrace. The fact that they were released without bail and allowed to travel across the country after being caught allegedly assaulting police officers on camera feels like a parody of the lawlessness that has engulfed America’s most iconic city. The explanation from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg only managed to make matters worse. 

“In a court of law, our profound obligation is to make sure we have right people charged with the right crimes,” said Bragg. I don’t think New Yorkers want to charge the wrong person.”

This explanation is farcical for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that the alleged crime was caught on video. Bragg’s explanation becomes even more infuriating when contrasted with the way he’s treated American citizens who have much less clear-cut cases. Take the case of Daniel Penny, an ex-Marine who allegedly killed a menacing homeless man with a criminal rap sheet longer than a CVS receipt on a New York City subway, in what Penny and his lawyers have insisted was an act of self-defense. Penny was charged with manslaughter by Bragg’s office almost immediately, and was forced to post $100,000 bail before being released. 

Regardless of how one feels about Penny’s case, it’s clear that a two-tiered justice system has been created in New York: one for American citizens, and another for illegal aliens. While Bragg’s policies have justifiably come under fire, he is hardly the only one responsible for the ongoing debacle in New York.

In the initial aftermath of the alleged assault, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul could not bring herself to say clearly that the illegal aliens responsible should be deported, only saying that it should be “looked at.” Hochul later issued a firmer call for the aliens’ deportation, but the fact there was any hesitation demonstrates how deep-seated anti-borders ideology has become on the Left. Meanwhile, officials across New York are showing no signs of moving away from their sanctuary policies after this latest disaster. Instead, they appear to be moving in the opposite direction.

Just days after the alleged assault, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced the city would begin handing out pre-paid credit cards to illegal aliens at a cost of $53 million to New York taxpayers. This comes as the state has already announced plans to spend billions of dollars caring for illegal aliens, even as the city faces a massive homelessness crisis. The borderline-religious zeal New York adheres to for anti-border policies would be fascinating if it wasn’t so tragic. Even in the face of rising gang crime and insurmountable financial costs, New York is continuing its pedal-to-the-medal approach when it comes to rewarding and welcoming illegal immigration.

When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began sending illegal aliens to New York and other sanctuary cities a couple of years ago, it served as a test to see just how much pain the Big Apple was willing to suffer at the altar of its anti-borders agenda. The response to this heinous crime is further evidence that America’s once-greatest city would rather self-destruct than reconsider its ruinous sanctuary policies. 

William J. Davis is a communications associate for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a public interest law firm working to defend the rights and interests of the American people from the negative effects of mass migration.

Also published at Townhall, February 10, 2024.