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Migrant melee in Times Square prompts governor to look at deportation

In the video, two NYPD officers are seen falling to the ground as they try to grab a suspect wearing what appears to be a yellow sweater.
Migrant melee in Times Square prompts governor to look at deportation
Posted at 2:55 PM, Feb 01, 2024
and last updated 2024-02-01 17:56:53-05

New York City Police are looking for at least five more men involved in an attack on NYPD officers. The brawl was caught on camera in the middle of Times Square. 

In the video, two NYPD officers are seen falling to the ground as they try to grab a suspect wearing what appears to be a yellow sweater. 

The cops are immediately surrounded by other men who soon begin kicking them and stomping them. The suspect attempts to run away while the two cops wrestle to contain him. 

In surveillance video, the other men are seen returning and continuing their attack on the officers. They kick them, and punch them in the face and head. The men then flee on foot. 

Law enforcement says everything started when a couple told the officers about a group being disorderly. After inspecting, police say there was a quick escalation. 

As the policemen were talking to the group they placed their hands on one of the men, and the rest surrounded the officers and began attacking them. 

SEE MORE: NYC sees spike in homeless population due to influx of migrants

One officer suffered a cut to his face. The other sustained injuries to the side of his body. NYPD says some of the suspects are migrants staying at city shelters. The incident happened Saturday night in front of a shelter in Times square. Blowback from the assault has made it all the way to Washington, D.C. 

“I got on the phone with the director of ICE for New York because in my city we saw two police officers beat by a mob of migrants,” said U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican from New York who was livid because of the attack. “I told the ICE director quite clearly, like, I want these individuals to be deported."

New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul also suggested the deportation of the men. 

Hochul called for a bipartisan solution in Congress to the migrant crisis at the border. 

“President Biden has said he will shut down the border. He's done everything the Republicans have asked him to do, and now they keep moving the goal post further and further back because they realize they don't really want to solve this,” said Hochul. 

NYPD says several people allegedly involved in the incident have been arrested, but they are searching for more. NYPD officials blasted the Manhattan District Attorney's Office after some of the accused were set free without bail. 

Some of the charges they face include robbery, felony assault and attempted assault on a police officer. 

The charges carry up to seven years in prison if convicted. 


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