New York City’s sanctuary city policies, once seen as a bold stand for immigrant rights, are now facing sharp criticism due to their unintended consequences.
Recent revelations from law enforcement officials and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) paint a grim picture. According to police sources cited by The New York Post, as many as 75% of those arrested in Midtown Manhattan in recent months for crimes such as assault, robbery, and domestic violence are migrants.
The city’s sanctuary laws, which prevent police from cooperating with ICE, hinder efforts to address these cases when suspects are in the country illegally.
ICE statistics further underscore the severity of the situation. More than 58,000 migrants in New York City are either convicted felons or have pending criminal charges.
Nationally, this figure rises to nearly 670,000. These individuals are among the 759,218 illegal border crossers known to be living in the city, meaning 7.7% of the migrant population has a criminal record.
Even more concerning, ICE data reveals that 1,053 of these migrants—nearly 2%—are identified as “suspected or known gang members.” The presence of such individuals adds a new layer of danger to the city’s already strained public safety systems.