Malliotakis Applauds DOJ for Forming Firearms Trafficking Strike Forces

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), today released the following statement regarding the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Tuesday announcement launching five cross-jurisdictional firearms trafficking strike forces to help reduce violent crime by addressing illegal gun trafficking in significant firearms trafficking corridors.

"After writing to Attorney General Garland on May 7, I'm pleased to see the DOJ announce five firearms trafficking strike forces, including one in New York City, to address violent crime and reduce illegal gun trafficking," said Congresswoman Malliotakis. "I'm appreciative that the DOJ is stepping forward to assist our city with this growing threat of gun violence, however, nearly every other category of crime has increased and it's critical that Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio also untie the hands of our police and allow them to do their jobs. By defunding the NYPD by nearly $1 billion, dismantling the NYPD's plainclothes unit that had great success in getting firearms off our streets and allowing the automatic release of repeat violent offenders, the Governor and Mayor singlehandedly created this problem and now federal assistance is needed to fix it. If they don't, law enforcement has warned that if the current trend continues and the botched bail law in Albany is not fixed, 1,000 more people will be shot in New York City by the time the State Legislature resumes session in January."

Last week, Malliotakis joined Reps. John Katko (NY-24) and Andrew Garbarino (NY-02) in meeting with top New York City law enforcement officials and association leadership to hear directly about the challenges police are facing today, including rising rates of violent crime, resource management, and officer retention. During the discussion, NYPD leadership shared shocking crime statistics with the Members, including:

• 97% of shooting victims in New York City are Black or Latino.
• New York's bail reform law releases nine out of ten individuals arrested for possessing illegal firearms back onto the streets along with 50% of those arrested for shootings.

Additionally, Malliotakis met with Customs and Border Protection officers during a visit to the southern border in April in which they expressed concern over the illegal trafficking of AK-47s and other firearms.

Read Malliotakis' May 7 letter to Attorney General Garland HERE.