Malliotakis: NYC Refusing to Give Me Migrant Crime Stats
Malliotakis has sent both a letter & submitted a FOIL Request seeking data & NYC officials keep stonewalling
(NEW YORK, NY) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis today blasted New York City officials for concealing the number of illegal immigrants being arrested in and around New York City migrant shelters following the shooting of two NYPD officers by a Venezuelan national and Tren de Aragua gang member residing at a migrant shelter in Queens earlier this week.
On October 2, 2023, Malliotakis and a bipartisan group of local elected officials sent a letter to NYPD Commissioner Caban requesting information relating to migrant crime in New York City. Having received no response, on January 8, 2024, Malliotakis' office submitted a FOIL Request to obtain the desired information. On January 14, 2024, the city acknowledged the request and said "to expect a response on or about Wednesday, May 22, 2024." However, on May 28, 2024, the city extended the response deadline to August 19, 2024, nearly one year after the original request for information was submitted. As of February 2, 2024, NBC New York reported partial city data that showed at least 1,200 arrests across 30 migrant shelters in New York City.
"If it’s so hard for a Member of Congress to get simple crime statistics from New York City in compliance with the FOIL, imagine how hard it is for ordinary taxpaying citizens to obtain information regarding public safety," Malliotakis said. "The city must be forthcoming with this information, especially since the only time we ever find out about criminals residing in our migrant shelters is AFTER they commit a rape, murder, or other violent crime. President Biden, Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams all told us these individuals were vetted, and every day we learn of another example of how that's not the case. Either the city is purposely evading transparency by not complying with FOIL in an effort to cover up the facts, or there have been so many crimes committed by those residing in our city illegally that they need another three months to calculate the numbers. Either way, it's wrong and the cover-up has to stop."