Residents of America’s largest sanctuary city are relieved to see sweeping change as violent criminals, including alleged Tren de Aragua ringleader Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, were apprehended in ICE raids led by the Trump administration.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has been on-the-ground as agents nabbed illegal immigrants in the Big Apple, told “Fox & Friends” that residents have voiced their gratitude.
“The people of this country want these dirtbags out. They want their communities to be safe,” she said.
“It was so amazing to me to see people walk by us on the street early in the morning and just say, ‘Thank you. Thank you for being here.’ This is part of our plan to make sure that we’re protecting America, keeping it safe again, just like President Trump promised… [The ‘thank you’ messages] mean the world to those officers who are out there risking their lives to bring safety back.”
NEW YORK LEADERS EXPRESS GUARDED SUPPORT FOR TRUMP ICE RAIDS IN COUNTRY’S BIGGEST SANCTUARY CITY
Homeland Security Kristi Noem joins an ICE raid in New York City on Tuesday. Noem said communities will be safer because of targeted raids that go after criminal illegal immigrants. (Department of Homeland Security)
Some New York City residents in predominantly Black and Hispanic communities have echoed the enthusiasm Noem described.
One resident had planned to call ICE on a group of illegal migrants living in the area, but agents arrived before he could.
“I’m glad they’re gone,” he said. “There were 15 of them in a one-bedroom. [They were] destroying the building, doing drugs in front. They’re illegally squatting, so they’re criminals… if you go inside, it’s destroyed.”
After ICE nabbed alleged Tren de Aragua ringleader Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco in the Bronx, a local shared their relief with The New York Post, saying, “Thank God they got him.”
The Post quoted Evelyn Brown, an 80-year-old Bronx resident who emigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica, as saying, “Get them the hell off the street! Get them the hell out of the street, so people don’t have to walk in fear.”
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The Trump administration’s actions also received praise from Heritage Foundation senior communications director Matthew Tragesser, who, on Wednesday, told “Fox & Friends First” the efforts of the new administration have helped roll back some damage from the Biden era.
“We have to applaud the Trump administration for taking initiative and acting quickly to remove these dangerous criminal aliens who have roamed freely for at least four years under the Biden-Harris administration,” he said.
“Secretary Noem, Border czar Tom Homan, President Trump, they have all focused on eight immigration-related executive orders to restrict immigration, to secure our borders better, and they’re acting as quickly as they can. But let’s not forget there were hundreds of thousands of criminals, potentially also with unvetted backgrounds entering our country, so that takes some time to remove them from the country.”
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New York City council member Vickie Paladino told Fox News that the “party is over” in the Big Apple for migrant criminals.
“They’re going after the worst of the worst. We’ve lived through three years of this mess with these illegals coming in here and ruling the day. … There’s a new sheriff in town,” she told “America Reports.”
