Migrant convicted in Times Square police assault gets year in jail followed by deportation
Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel was sentenced to 1 year in jail and will face deportation
LOWER MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- A migrant who was convicted of kicking an NYPD officer during a riot in Times Square will spend a year in jail and then face deportation, but New York City's police union says it's not enough.
For the leaders of New York City's PBA, January's brazen attack against two NYPD officers was personal.
The two NYPD officers were beaten by an angry mob while trying to disperse a disorderly group of migrants in the heart of Times Square.
On Tuesday, one of the arrested suspects pleaded guilty to assault charges.
Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel was sentenced to a year in jail and will face deportation to Venezuela when his sentence is complete.
"He should be deported-absolutely deported," PBA President Patrick Hendry said. " We're going to continue to be at every court case for every individual who attacked all police officers in this case. We're not going to stop until every single individual who's responsible is behind bars."
Several others are charged in the melee and are expected to face a similar fate.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can deport those convicted of serious crimes, but agents are not notified because of New York's Sanctuary City laws.
Those laws, enacted by former Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council, intended to protect migrants and guarantee them due process. Because arresting officers are forbidden to ask for their immigration status, it's impossible to know how many migrants are committing crimes in New York.
Police commanders believe it's a small percentage of the 200,000 migrants who have poured into the city since 2022.
Mayor Eric Adams has urged the Council, without success, to change the laws. For now, his administration has another priority.
"We want to connect people to their community-based organizations so that we can get them connected to work, get them out of shelter," said Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom. "We've been really proud that over 150,000 people have made their way out of shelter, so far. So, that's what I've really been focusing on."
The administration acknowledged on Tuesday that migrants arrested and released are not denied shelter while awaiting trial. Although, they can be expelled for violating the code of conduct for behavior inside the shelters.
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