TIMES SQUARE, Manhattan (WABC) — Four people believed to be involved in the attack of two NYPD officers in Times Square last month were detained in Phoenix, Arizona, according to ICE.
Officials say the four individuals who “were believed to be fleeing the state of New York” for their suspected involvement in the attack were apprehended while traveling to the Phoenix Greyhound Bus Station from El Paso, Texas.
They were then transferred to the custody of ICE officials.
The NYPD is working with ICE to determine whether they are the same four men who allegedly skipped town on a bus headed toward California after being charged in the attack. If the grand jury indicts them, they will be expected to appear in court.
It comes as one of the suspects arrested in the attack was indicted by a grand jury.
N.J. Burkett has the latest.
Yohenry Brito, the man who allegedly set off the melee by resisting arrest, appeared in court on Tuesday where he was indicted for his role in the assault.
The charges against him will be unsealed when he is arraigned on the indictment at a later date.
Before the indictment, Brito appeared before the judge for about 10 minutes and a new court date was set for March 25 on his two prior misdemeanor cases.
Brito’s defense attorney commented outside court, saying only that “he pleaded not guilty.”
Brito is being held on Rikers Island on $15,000 bail.
The Police Benevolent Association president said in the indictment is a step toward justice.
“This is just one small step towards justice for our injured brothers,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said. “It might never have happened without the outcry from New Yorkers who are fed up with a justice system that keeps failing to protect both police officers and the public. Too many of the participants in this vicious attack are still roaming free. We are once again urging all New Yorkers: keep speaking up until they are all behind bars where they belong.”
The grand jury hearing comes as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg continues to defend his office’s decision to release five of the six suspects without bail.
In light of the attack, some local lawmakers gathered Monday to call for New York City to once again start cooperating with federal immigration officials. Mayor Eric Adams said the law in place that limits the cooperation between the two doesn’t impact the work ICE does.
“ICE can execute warrants. ICE can have a role here. No one is stopping ICE from doing their job. They have a job to do when you deal with dangerous people such as that. I cannot use city resources based on existing law. I think that’s a question that should be presented to the council,” Adams said.
A council spokesperson says the laws limiting cooperation with ICE exist, “to ensure immigrant communities aren’t deterred from seeking help or reporting crime to city officials out of fear of deportation.”
Meanwhile, a statement from New York Immigration Coalition says they trust Bragg and are calling on NYPD to “release the full bodycam footage of the incident to reduce rampant speculation that is fueling anti-immigrant rhetoric.”
Authorities continue to search for several others involved in the attack against the two officers. They say 14 people were involved.
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NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — The NYPD says it has foiled the largest robbery pattern in the city – thieves snatching women’s purses and phones out of their hands.
Officers raided a suspected safe house in the Bronx early Monday morning. The suspects are migrants from Venezuela.
“In recent a months a wave of migrant crime has washed over our city, but by no means are the individuals committing these crimes representing the vast number of people coming to New York to build a better life,” NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said.
The string of 62 thefts of phones stolen from women on the street and in the subway system has been linked to a mastermind overseeing the spree from his Bronx apartment, the NYPD said on Monday.
Victor Parra, who is still being sought, ran a sophisticated criminal enterprise of migrants predominantly living in the city’s system, police said.
“They use social media platforms to organize and coordinate their thefts. This is how they operate. The leader of the crew identified as Victor Parra will blast out a message via WhatsApp that he’s looking for phones,” Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said.
Video released by the NYPD shows a 52-year-old woman being violently dragged by thieves on a scooter after being mugged of her bag, phone, credit cards, keys, glasses, $60 cash and her ID. It happened last month in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn.
To carry out their crimes, they would ride up behind their victims, mostly women walking alone on the sidewalk, and grab their phones or purses and make their getaway.
A scooter operator would make $100 and a phone snatcher $300 to $600.
The phones were taken to Parra’s apartment, where his ‘tech guy’ hacked into the stolen phones, accessing the victims’ financial and banking apps for fraudulent purchases in the U.S. or Central America.
The phones were then sent to Colombia, where they were wiped clean.
Police recovered 22 stolen phones as well as victim’s identification from Parra’s home during a search on Monday.
Investigators said they took five people into custody on Monday.
The following individuals have been identified and charged:
– 20-year-old Cleyber Andrade is charged with 25 counts of grand larceny.
– 23-year-old Juan Uzcatgui is charged with 23 counts of grand larceny.
– 24-year-old Roxanna Sahos is charged with tampering with evidence.
– 20-year-old Alexander Dayker is charged with criminal possession of stolen property.
In all, seven of the 14 members of this crew have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of grand larceny.
“They’re essentially ghost criminals. No criminal history. Not photos. No cell phone. No social media. Sometimes we’re even unclear on name or a date of birth. And on top of that these operations are extremely sophisticated.” Caban said.
“If they’re found guilty and they do their time they should be deported. You should not be allowed to walk the streets of New York,” Mayor Eric Adams added.
Parra is from Venezuela and entered the country last year. He was last before a judge in December on a grand larceny charge.
The string started in November 2023 on the Upper East Side and the most recent incident was in Chinatown on Sunday night
The thefts occurred in every borough except Staten Island. Nearly 56% of them were in Manhattan
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NEW YORK — Seven migrants were arrested, including several Monday morning in an NYPD raid in the Bronx targeting a crew behind a citywide robbery pattern, the NYPD said.
Police believe they are part of group responsible for a citywide pattern of cellphone robberies. Some of the stolen goods were recovered in the raid, police said.
Police said it all starts with criminals on scooters who steal people’s cellphones, and then hack into them to get access to banking apps.
Surveillance video shows one incident in which a suspect on a scooter grabs a victim’s bag, dragging them to the sidewalk.
The investigation led to a raid and several arrests Monday at an apartment in the Allerton section of the Bronx. Police have issued warrants for three other suspects and believe even more are out there.
Robbery ring was run by a Venezuelan migrant, police say
Videos provided by the NYPD show suspects working in pairs on mopeds tugging at, and often knocking over, unsuspecting victims to wrestle free iPhones, bags, and wallets.
Police officers, accompanied by Mayor Eric Adams, made multiple arrests in an apartment at 2790 Bronx Park East, described as a stash house or headquarters for a wide-ranging, multi-borough cellphone robbery operation connected to more than a dozen suspects. Many of them are migrants, according to police.
“These small number of people are breaking the law and are having a huge impact on our public safety, and that is why we zeroed in on them,” Adams said. “We’re not going to sit idly by while people choose to prey on their fellow New Yorkers.”
“This administration, police department, we’ve always talked about welcoming asylum seekers. But once you start robbing people and stealing from them, your status is criminal, and you’ll be treated as such,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard said.
“It doesn’t matter if a person is a migrant, asylum or if the person is a long-term New Yorker. You break the law, it’ll be investigated, and it will be handled by our criminal justice system,” Adams said. “You should not be allowed to walk the streets of the city of New York if you are committing any form of criminal behavior that’s impacting the quality of life of New Yorkers.”
The arrests went down in the apartment of Victor Parra, the alleged ringleader, at around 5:30 a.m. Monday. Parra is still at large, police said.
“So in recent months, a wave of migrant crime has washed over our city. But by no means do the individuals committing these crimes represent the vast number of people coming to New York to build a better life. But they are, nonetheless, preying on New Yorkers and making our city less safe,” NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said.
The police commissioner said what’s making this case particularly difficult to crack is the suspected migrants involved have very little paper trail — no criminal record in the U.S., no social media and sometimes, he said, it’s hard for police to even authenticate a suspect’s name or date of birth.
“I want to reiterate the overwhelming number of 170,000-plus migrants and asylum seekers are attempting to continue their next leg of their journey of pursuing the American dream. But those who commit a crime will be treated like any other criminal in this city. No different mindset, no different reaction, no different response from the police department,” Adams said.
Most migrants come to NYC in search of a better life. Sadly, some come to commit crimes. While the rest of NYC was sleeping, @NYCMayor@NYPDChiefPatrol@NYPDDetectives joined @NYPDnews investigators & specialized teams as we carried out a search warrant — booming a door and… pic.twitter.com/1KkTHQ6HYC
— NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) February 5, 2024
Crooks used scooters for snatch-and-grab robberies, police say
“We believe the individuals involved have been involved in 62 robbery incidents across our city, including our transit system. Including riding on mopeds, scooters, and snatching property of New Yorkers, such as iPhones and wallets. These individuals do not have a license to steal in our city,” Adams said.
Adams said the NYPD seized more than 2,500 illegal mopeds and scooters last year — a 74% increase over the year prior.
“The crimes in this pattern involved multiple thieves on mopeds, snatching cellphones and purses from victims. These thieves would ride up behind their victims on the sidewalk, steal their property, and then make their getaway. The majority of the victims are women, simply just walking alone. We have seen that the mopeds used in these crimes are also stolen as well,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Scooters and mopeds have become the vehicle of choice for criminals in New York City.
Back in July, CBS New York got an exclusive look at how the NYPD has been going on the offensive, targeting what it describes as roving groups of unlicensed scooters, similar to the ones used in this ring.
“Mopeds and scooters are being used for crimes and harming innocent people. I want to be clear, again, the law is coming for those who use mopeds illegally,” Adams said.
Police said the robbery pattern started in November 2023 on the Upper East Side and the most recent incident happened on Sunday night in Chinatown.
“This network of thieves predominantly live in the migrant shelter system. They use social media platforms to organize and coordinate their thefts,” Kenny said.
Authorities said Parra would put out the request on WhatsApp, and that the scooter drivers and thieves may not even know one another.
“Once the messages are received, the crime wave begins, with the scooter operators making $100 a day, and the actual phone snatcher making between $300-600 per phone that is stolen,” Kenny said.
The stolen phones were brought to Parra, who used a “tech guy who is able to hack into these stolen phones, where he gains access to the victim’s financial and banking apps,” Kenny said.
Investigators said the suspects were grabbing phones because they are attracted to payment apps, including Apple Pay. Detectives said suspects used credit cards linked to phones.
Kenny said so far police have identified 14 members of the crew, and that seven had been arrested so far. More arrests are expected.
Some Bronx residents said the theft ring worries them, especially for their most vulnerable loved ones and neighbors.
“I’m very scared, and my mother, she’s right there, and it’s very scary for the older people, too,” said Bronx resident Pamela Colon. “It’s not right what they’re doing.”
A “national problem,” Adams says
“This is a national problem. We need a national solution, on both sides of the aisle. Republicans have blocked real immigration reform for many years. It is time for us to deal with this real issue that’s impacting cities, not only New York,” Adams said. “This is a national problem that’s impacting cities. And our message is a clear one: Over 175,000 migrants and asylum seekers that have arrived here, this is 12 people. So any New Yorker that looks at those who are trying to fulfill their next step on the American dream as criminals, that is wrong. That is not what we’re seeing. The overwhelming number of migrants and asylum seekers want to work. They want to contribute to our society. They believe we have put a pause on their progression on contributing to our society. We should not in any way take these criminals and state that they are the indicators of the people who are here.”
“This is not about migrants and asylum seekers. It’s about criminals who committed a crime. And we would treat criminals the same if they’re longstanding New Yorkers, or if they just arrived here last year. These are criminals that we brought to justice,” Adams said.
First, Fed Chair Jerome Powell: The 2024 60 Minutes Interview. Then, a report on the growing number of Chinese migrants crossing into the U.S. at the southern border. And, a look at how a sports betting boom is fueling concerns over problem gambling.
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A growing number of Chinese nationals, trying to escape repressive politics and a bleak economy, are headed to the U.S. They’re turning to a gap at the southern border with Mexico as a way to get in.
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Police department officials say 14 people, believed to be asylum seekers staying in city shelters were involved in the assault.
Authorities have arrested and charged six – five were released without bail.
DA Bragg says his office ‘will not rest until every person who assaulted a police officer in this awful attack is held accountable.’
The incident prompted growing concern from the New York Immigration Coalition that a few bad apples would put a target on the greater asylum-seeking population.
“I think that we have to really highlight that these are isolated incidents,” said Robert Agyemang, Vice President of the New York Immigration Coalition. “It feeds into kind of the belief system that these people are coming and they’re messing up things when it’s not really the case.”
According to data from the mayor’s office, there were fewer migrants in the city’s care since last week.
On January 7, 2024, the city reported 69,000 migrants in their care, as opposed to 67,500 on January 23. Meaning that migrants are leaving the city’s care faster than they are coming in.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, and on Twitter @NYPDTips.
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
A convoy started by far-right extremists is bound for the Texas-Mexico border this weekend to show support for the Texas government in its ongoing standoff against the federal government over the migrant crisis, raising concerns from some experts about potential violence.
While the “Take our Border Back” convoy started its journey from Virginia Beach, Virginia, earlier this week with just a few dozen cars and trucks, it had over 200 vehicles by Thursday as it departed Dripping Springs, Texas, for its final destination in Quemado, Texas, 20 miles from the border town of Eagle Pass, where the Texas National Guard has taken control of a public park and refused access to Border Patrol agents.
U.S. officials are tracking open-source intelligence related to the trucker convoy.
Participants in the “Take Our Border Back” convoy arrive at Cornerstone Children’s Ranch near Quemado, Texas, on Feb. 2, 2024.
SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images
The convoy’s organizers have publicly pledged to keep the convoy peaceful, saying they made the determination not to actually enter Eagle Pass. However, a rally Thursday evening in Dripping Springs, packed with hundreds of attendees, included xenophobic language and conspiratorial statements. Speakers included former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, elected Texas officials, musician Ted Nugent, Christian nationalist pastors and reporter-turned-conspiracy theorist Lara Logan.
Proud Boys members, neo-Nazi groups and militias are also involved with the convoy, according to researchers.
“The eyes of the world are on Texas right now,” Palin said. “Now, more than ever, it’s required of us to stand up and fight for what’s right, because it’s unconscionable, it’s treasonous, what our own federal government is doing to us in actually sanctioning an invasion, a foreign invasion, of our country.”
Another speaker, Michael Yon, a regular guest on former Trump chief White House strategist Steve Bannon’s podcast “War Room,” echoed tenets of the so-called “great replacement theory,” a baseless ethno-nationalist belief that there is an intentional effort to replace the White population in the U.S. and elsewhere around the globe.
One of the convoy’s organizers, Pete Chambers, appeared on Alex Jones’ conspiracy-laded show InfoWars last week, touting his plans for the convoy. He told Jones he seeks to “pair up with law enforcement who are constitutionally sound,” adding that “we’re at 1774 right now.”
Freddy Cruz, a manager for monitoring and training at the Western States Center, a pro-democracy advocacy group, said that the white supremacist rhetoric coming from convoy members and speakers at Thursday’s rally raises alarm bells about the possibility of future violence against migrants.
“That is all problematic because they’re operating on a belief system, like the ‘great replacement’ narrative, that has had horrible consequences on American citizens,” Cruz said, referencing three major racially-motivated mass shootings in El Paso, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh in which the shooters espoused racist ideologies leading up to their attacks.
The League of United Latin American Citizens issued an alert this week claiming participants in the convoy may become violent towards immigrant communities and its members.
“We know that many of them are armed,” LULAC National President Domingo Garcia. “And many of them have extremist views, especially in terms of the fear-mongering and scapegoating of immigrants and Hispanics.”
In response to the convoy’s arrival, Border Patrol has moved migrants out of a large tent holding facility near Eagle Pass as a precautionary measure due to uncorroborated threats, a Customs and Border Protection official told CBS News.
A CBP spokesperson told CBS News in a statement Friday that it was “taking appropriate and necessary actions to keep our employees and migrants in our custody safe. We will remain vigilant and continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners.”
The convoy’s rhetoric has also sparked chatter among extremist groups and militias about whether they will either join it or take independent action along the southern border, Cruz warned.
“They’re all listening very closely,” Cruz said. “And we’re seeing some of these anti-Democracy groups acting and sort of mobilizing around the border, specifically targeting both migrants and humanitarians that are assisting them.”
In addition to Quemado, there are two other rallies being hosted by the convoy this weekend, with one event in Yuma, Arizona, and another in San Ysidro, California.
The Supreme Court last week ruled that the Biden administration can remove razor wire which Texas had installed along the border. However, also last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rejected a request from the Department of Homeland Security to give Border Patrol agents access to Shelby Park, a city-owned public park in Eagle Pass that was once a busy area of illegal crossings by migrants.
Former President Donald Trump, as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson, have publicly supported Abbott’s standoff over Shelby Park. Republican Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana wrote last week on social media that “the feds are staging a civil war, and Texas should stand their ground.” The post was shared widely by extremist communities.
— Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Nicole Sganga and Ken Molestina contributed to this report.
Nearly a week after two NYPD officers were injured by a group of attackers in Times Square, the Manhattan district attorney initially dodged questions as to why his office did not seek bail for several of the suspects involved — some of whom have since fled the state, sources previously said.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined early Friday afternoon to answer questions from NBC New York regarding the case and why several migrants accused of assaulting police were released without bond. He did not respond when asked if he thought not requesting bail was a mistake, instead walking past reporters without saying much at all.
Seemingly caught off-guard by the questions, Bragg offered only one answer: “We’ll speak in court.”
The Manhattan DA held a news conference to make it clear attacks on police officers will not be tolerated, after dodging reporter questions earlier in the day. News 4’s Melissa Russo reports.
The DA was attending a law enforcement conference which reporters were invited to by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. She has made it clear she disagrees with the decision to let the suspects go free without bail, and has called for the attackers to be deported. Hochul said the problem was not about weak bail laws, but rather the failure to use the laws in place.
“All I know is that an assault on a police officer means you should be sitting in jail,” said Hochul.
Bragg and Hochul met behind closed doors, but he was noticeably absent when the governor emerged for a news conference with several other district attorneys from Queens, Brooklyn and Westchester. Hochul confirmed that she discussed the incident with Bragg, adding that she was “confident there will be more charges brought.”
Hours later, Bragg convened an early evening press conference to try and clarify his position — insisting he would not tolerate attacks on police, following days of criticism and silence from his office.
“We do not tolerate or accept assaults on police officers. I watched the tape this week, despicable behavior and it sickened me and outraged me,” Bragg said.
The embattled DA said his office was looking into new video to identify what role each individual may have played in the group assault. Bragg told reporters he did not request bail because he is proceeding cautiously to ensure they have the proper suspects identified in the case.
“That is what is required to secure a conviction and get accountability and send the right people to jail. That’s what we’ve been working on all week,” Bragg said, noting that the one who was “deemed to have committed the most serious crimes is currently on Rikers.”
He also said the office has received more information than it did after Saturday, and he expects to get further information in the next few days. What remains unclear is if Bragg has any hesitation or concerns about whether they have arrested and charged the right suspects, even if they were not held on bail.
Seven suspects have been arrested for the attack so far, and police officials have said at least 13 people were involved in the attack on the officers. At least one suspect had bail set and is being held on Rikers.
Several of the suspects are migrants, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said, while police were familiar with some from past incidents.
“Some of them live in the migrant shelter, they appear to be migrants, obviously. I don’t know when they got here. Some of them already have lengthy police records,” said Chell. “These individuals who were arrested [or] will be arrested should be indicted, they should be sitting in Rikers awaiting their day in front of the judge. Plain and simple.”
Multiple sources familiar with the matter said they believe four of those initially arrested and released after court have since boarded a bus under aliases and were headed toward the California–Mexico border.
Federal officials said that in many cases, New York officials do not alert them when an undocumented defendant is being released from court or jail. A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office said bail was not sought in part because they were still sorting out which defendants committed which acts during the assault.
An official with the New York Office of Court Administration said they were “not aware of the defendants’ whereabouts but they are obligated to return to Court on their scheduled dates”; their next court date in New York was scheduled for March 4.
Gov. Hochul said suspected attackers will face additional charges in the attack on two NYPD officers. News 4’s Jonathan Dienst reports.
Police do not track crime committed by undocumented residents, but arrest records show residents living at 30 of the city’s 200 migrant shelters have been arrested more 1,200 in the last year. City records show the top crimes include petit larceny, assault, grand larceny, endangering the welfare of a child and robbery.
Former NYPD Chief of Department and current NBC New York consultant Terry Monahan said that while the vast majority of migrants are coming to the U.S. to seek better lives, crime is a growing problem.
“A lot of times it shows it’s a first arrest for that individual because it’s the first time they’re here. And they’re getting sent right back out on the streets to do it again,” Monahan said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has shared harsh words for the migrants arrested.
“Get them all — send them back,” the Democrat said Thursday. “You don’t touch our police officers, you don’t touch anyone.”
The lack of consequences for the suspects has sparked police pushback.
“Why aren’t they in jail right now? They brutally attacked a police officer and a lieutenant. Our criminal justice system is upside down,” said Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry.
Details of the Times Square attack
Authorities say the caught-on-camera brawl erupted as cops tried to break up a group of migrants in front of a shelter on 42nd Street, steps from the New Amsterdam Theatre. Police officials said Thursday that it is believed at least 13 people were involved in the attack on the officers.
Multiple law enforcement sources said it all started when a couple of people walked up to the officers and said there was a group being disorderly, causing issues.
Police went to check it out, and the situation escalated quickly. Video obtained by NBC New York shows the moments before the beatdown, as a police officer and a lieutenant were talking to the group. They put their hands on one person and suddenly, the cops are surrounded. They stumble down 42nd Street, where the officers fall to the ground, before being kicked, stomped and punched in the face and head.
Two officers were hurt when chaos erupted outside a migrant shelter in Times Square over the weekend.
One lieutenant suffered a cut to his face. The other officer has injuries to the side of his body.
“I’m appalled at this. The city, we have had enough,” said Chell. “The shame of this is they’re trying to keep this city safe, and they get attacked by eight cowards who are kicking them in the face, taking cheap shots.”
Those arrested have been accused of assault or attempted assault on a police officer and gang assault. Several are charged additionally with obstructing governmental administration.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have not commented on whether they will attempt to detain the defendants in this case. Camille Joseph Varlack, the chief of staff for Mayor Adams, said NYC’s sanctuary city status does not prevent police from coordinating with ICE.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Violence at migrant shelters has been a burgeoning problem as of late, prompting demands for fresh quality of life initiatives in certain neighborhoods. The city’s largest shelter is on Randall’s Island, where a deadly fight broke out earlier this month. Three people were arraigned Tuesday in that case.
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Jonathan Dienst, Melissa Russo and NBC New York Staff
John Dickerson reports on an atmospheric river bringing heavy rain to California, how a U.S. plan to sanction Venezuela could affect deportations, and how much the White House can do to tame housing costs.
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NEW YORK (WABC) — An army of police fanned out at migrant facilities throughout the city Wednesday night to target a problem that’s exploded in recent months: unregistered scooters.
Eyewitness News was on the scene as officers cracked down on the issue, they say has become a persistent quality of life issue in Manhattan.
“We had to come here, and we had to do our job,” said NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry.
The first order of business was they went for the bikes.
Dozens of bikes without registrations were confiscated, some with plates stolen off other bikes somewhere in the city.
All of them were immediately carted away on a police flatbed.
Wednesday’s operation was about a lot more than illegal bikes, as it comes after Saturday night’s melee near Times Square, where a dozen men — believed to be asylum seekers — attacked two police officers.
Five were arrested on the spot.
“Nobody’s going home tonight until we find the guys who assaulted our cops,” assured Daughtry.
Police arrested the man dressed in yellow in the video and are still on the hunt for as many as five more.
“We’re not going to tolerate individuals attacking out cops,” said Daughtry. “That’s not going to happen. We will comb this globe to look for you and bring you to justice.”
NYPD Asst. Commissioner Daughtry led teams of cops who scoured the area around the Row Hotel, a migrant center in Hell’s Kitchen, and they inspected more of those bikes, which have been involved in a growing number of robberies and the focus of police citywide for weeks.
“We are seeing an uptick of scooter robberies in the city, particularly in Manhattan, where individuals are on scooters, normally two on a scooter, and they’re taking their cell phones, AirPods, Beats, wallets, purses,” said Daughtry. “We’re going to be over aggressively going after these scooters and moped on city streets.”
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John Dickerson reports on President Biden’s plans to respond to a deadly attack on troops in Jordan, House Republican efforts to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and why some top companies are pushing new return-to-office mandates.
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House Republicans are rallying against a bipartisan Senate plan on immigration reform that is still being finalized. The bill would allow the president to deport most migrants seeking asylum whenever illegal border crossings surge. Nancy Cordes reports.
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Senators were still negotiating the final language of an immigration bill that would allow the president to suspend asylum proceedings as border crossings soar while also raising the standard for accepting asylum seekers. Skyler Henry reports.
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Growing border battle in Congress threatens to upend bipartisan immigration deal; Two best friends bring a taste of Europe to the heart of Philadelphia
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The growing border battle in Congress is threatening to upend a bipartisan deal to overhaul immigration policies. President Biden has urged Congress to pass the deal, which he said would include tough reforms to secure the border, but House Speaker Mike Johnson warns it is likely dead on arrival. His words come amid concerns that Republicans are blocking the deal to help former president Donald Trump in the upcoming election. CBS News’ Christina Ruffini reports from the White House.
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Catherine Herridge reports on a New York jury awarding E. Jean Carroll $83.3M in the Trump defamation case, the latest on border policy negotiations in Congress, and the threat of A.I. deepfakes.
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Eagle Pass, Texas — Texas’ attorney general on Friday forcefully rejected a request from the Biden administration to grant federal immigration officials full access to a park along the southern border that the state National Guard has sealed off with razor wire, fencing and soldiers.
For three weeks, the federal government and Texas have clashed over Shelby Park, a city-owned public park in the border town of Eagle Pass that was once a busy area for illegal crossings by migrants. Texas National Guard soldiers deployed by Gov. Greg Abbott took control of Shelby Park earlier in January and have since prevented Border Patrol agents from processing migrants in the area, which once served as a makeshift migrant holding site for the federal agency.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Border Patrol, had given Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton until Friday to say the state would relent and allow federal agents inside Shelby Park. On Friday, however, Paxton rebuffed that demand, saying Texas state officials would not allow DHS to turn the area into an “unofficial and unlawful port of entry.”
“Your request is hereby denied,” Paxton wrote in his letter.
Paxton pledged to continue “Texas’s efforts to protect its southern border against every effort by the Biden Administration to undermine the State’s constitutional right of self-defense.”
Inside Shelby Park, Texas guardsmen have been setting barriers to impede the passage of migrants hoping to cross into the U.S. illegally, and instructing them to return to Mexico across the Rio Grande. The Texas Department of Public Safety also recently started arresting some adult migrants who enter the park on state criminal trespassing charges.
Texas guardsmen set up barriers at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, designed to impede the passage of migrants. Jan. 23, 2023.
CBS News
Abbott and other Texas officials have argued the state’s actions are designed to discourage migrants from entering the country illegally, faulting the federal government for not doing enough to deter unauthorized crossings. But the Biden administration said Texas is preventing Border Patrol agents from patrolling the Rio Grande, processing migrants and helping those who may be in distress.
Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. Texas state officials are not legally authorized nor trained to screen migrants for asylum, arrest them for immigration violations or deport them to a foreign country. However, Abbott signed a law last month that he hopes will allow Texas officials to arrest migrants on illegal entry state-level charges and force them to return to Mexico. The Justice Department is seeking to block that law before it takes effect in March.
The Supreme Court earlier this week allowed Border Patrol to cut the razor wire Texas has assembled near the riverbanks of the Rio Grande, pausing a lower court order that had barred the agency from doing so. The razor wire in Shelby Park has remained in place, however, since federal officials have not been granted full access to the area.
While the Supreme Court has not ruled on Texas’ seizure of Shelby Park, that dispute could also end up being litigated in federal court if the Biden administration sues the state over the matter.
While the White House has called his policies inhumane and counterproductive, Abbott has argued he is defending his state from an “invasion,” and his actions in Eagle Pass have received the support of other Republican governors across the country.
U.S. officials processed more than 302,000 migrants at and in between ports of entry along the southern border last month, an all-time high that shattered all previous records, according to official government data published Friday. Illegal border crossings have since plummeted, a trend U.S. officials have attributed to increased Mexican immigration enforcement and a historical lull after the holidays.
Negotiations are continuing between Republican Senate leaders and the White House regarding a possible border security deal. However, Republicans acknowledged Thursday that the calculus on such a deal may have changed given former President Donald Trump’s status in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Scott MacFarlane has the latest.
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