Thousands of migrant criminals are roaming the streets of Gotham, according to Kenneth Genalo, the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) NYC field office. In his first interview since Donald Trump's election, Genalo told The Post that if the status quo remains unchanged, it would take a lifetime to clear the city of these criminals. "We need additional resources," said Genalo, a 33-year ICE veteran who oversees nearly 400 staffers in the NYC-area office. He emphasized that his resources are focused on the most egregious violators, admitting that the number of leads they work on daily is in the thousands.
According to ICE data up to July 21, of the nearly 7.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States, 662,586 are convicted felons or have criminal charges pending. Since the immigration crisis began in the spring of 2022, over 223,000 migrants have entered New York City, with at least 58,000 being cared for in city-funded shelters. ICE did not specify the exact number of criminals among them.
Genalo expressed frustration over New York’s sanctuary laws, which prevent the deportation of migrant criminals. He hopes to testify before the City Council to educate its far-left majority about the detrimental effects of these policies. "The only people they’re shielding are the criminals, and they’re shielding the criminals from us," Genalo said, adding that the majority of crimes are committed against vulnerable migrant females and children.
Genalo criticized the changes in immigration-law enforcement under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who, in 2014, signed a bill barring the NYPD from cooperating with federal immigration officials. In 2018, de Blasio further codified the city’s non-cooperation policy with the feds. These revisions have had serious consequences, such as the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley by an illegal migrant who was released due to these policies.
Mayor Eric Adams has called for loosening the sanctuary rules to allow the transfer of migrants suspected of serious crimes to ICE. However, he lacks the political support needed on the City Council to change the laws. "The mayor knows we need to cooperate," Genalo said. "He sees what’s going on in New York City, and he wants help from the federal government."
Source link: https://nypost.com
