As reported by The Associated Press, New York City officials have declared an expanded overnight curfew at 20 city migrant shelters on Sunday, in response to a surge in reports of criminal misconduct. The action comes following a recent incident where members of a citizen-militia misidentified and assaulted a local resident erroneously recognised as a migrant. Curtis Sliwa, the group’s leader, described the incident in which the local resident was thrown to the ground and beaten as “pain compliance,” according to the New York Times.
This act of violence was broadcast live on Fox News, following reports of the indictment of seven people in connection to an assault on NYPD officers outside a migrant shelter earlier in January. The new curfew, spanning from 11 PM to 6 AM, will affect roughly 3,600 migrants seeking shelter during the asylum and migration process, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams informed AP.
This announcement follows a trend of similar restrictions imposed on four other migrant shelters last week. Despite the escalation of reports of criminal misconduct near the shelters, Mayor Adams emphasized that such incidents are isolated events and not indicative of the behaviour of the broader migrant community seeking asylum or refugee status.
In an attempt to debunk rising anti-immigrant sentiment, New York state Comptroller Brad Lander released a fact sheet in January of 2024, highlighting common misconceptions believed to be fueling confrontations between protestors and migrants in the city’s five boroughs.
This new regulation comes in response to a significant wave of migrants, often dispatched to northern states by unfriendly border-state governors. Prompted by this situation, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey have urged federal officials to revise the current work-authorization rules for asylum seekers and refugees. Such adjustments, according to Hochul and Healey, would allow migrants to further contribute to the U.S. tax base and lessen the strain on state shelter systems. At present, migrants contribute an estimated $30 billion per year to the federal tax system, despite being ineligible to receive federal benefits or vote.