While Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez parades around Washington, D.C. pushing socialism and supporting communist candidates like Zohran Mamdani, federal agents have arrested members of a violent illegal immigrant gang that’s been running a crime-infested strip in her own district, according to Fox News.
The transnational 18th Street Gang was formed in Los Angeles in the 1960s by Mexican immigrants and has operations spanning the United States, Mexico, and Central America. They have controlled Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, New York for at least three years, running brothels near schools, distributing fake passports and counterfeit currency, dealing drugs, trafficking firearms, and extorting businesses for rent payments. NYPD Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry told Fox News the problem has been exacerbated as an influx of illegal immigrants were drawn to the area, given its large Latino population.
Eight members of the 18th Street Gang were arrested, seven of whom were in the United States illegally. The charges included racketeering. One of the members was charged separately for illegally possessing a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and ammunition as a non-citizen.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office Christopher Raia said the eight gang members arrested were directly responsible for brutal assaults on innocent civilians.
"Those arrested...acted and behaved with callous and cruel disregard for those around them," Raia explained. "Our actions today represent yet another example of the FBI’s commitment to crushing the violent transnational gangs plaguing our communities."
The joint operation involved the FBI’s New York Field Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the Queens District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Secret Service, and the Labor Department. The indictment against the gang members was unsealed on June 16 of this year.
Locals have likened Roosevelt Street to a 'Red Light District' as the streets are full of prostitutes, vendors selling stolen and counterfeit goods, and people selling unregulated food to passersby. It has been a magnet for criminal activity for years.
The territory of the 18th Street Gang is represented by both AOC and Representative Grace Meng (D-NY). While Meng praised the crackdown, AOC did not respond to Fox News' request for comment.
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