Four illegal immigrants who crossed the southern border and were later bused from Texas to New York were arrested after stealing nearly $12,500 in merchandise from a Macy's department store in Long Island, N.Y.
The Nassau County Police Department said those arrested are Wrallan Cabezas Meza, 19, Jose Garcia Escobar (30), Miguel Angel Rojas (21) and Rafael Rojas (27). They are illegal immigrants who recently arrived in the country who were brought to New York from Texas as part of the Governor Greg Abbott's sending of immigrant buses to sanctuary cities.
Four migrants bused to NYC arrested for shoplifting $12k from Macy's https://t.co/Ij4YZauLht pic.twitter.com/JmsiBi8rWF
- New York Post (@nypost) January 23, 2023
Offenders released without bail
Police caught the immigrants shortly after the robbery. Meza was stopped by police for driving with a false license plate, which led to his capture. Subsequently, the other offenders were arrested, according to police reports.
All the stolen merchandise was recovered. However, it is known that the four immigrants appeared in court and were released without bail.
The New York Post reported that Meza crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on July 4, 2022, while the others arrived in the country months later in September. Angel and Rafael Rojas were living rent-free at the Westin hotel in Manhattan.
One informant told The Post that New York Mayor Eric Adams's plan, which grants lucrative municipal contracts, has experienced problems. The fact that some hotels are used to accommodate immigrants generates chaos in society, since there are reports of illegal immigrants fighting with the hotel staff, drinking alcohol all day long and having sex in public, among other things.
Border crisis
More than 39,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York since the spring. Last week, Mayor Adams called on President Joe Biden to create a federal program that "equitably distributes" immigration nationwide to relieve the city of the "burden" which results from the thousands of people illegally crossing the border.
The influx of illegals forced New York to look for solutions about where to house them, building Emergency Humanitarian Response and Relief Centers, using hotel rooms to house people, and even trying to use cruise ships as temporary housing for immigrants.
During a press conference, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said he agrees with Adams "that we have a crisis at the border and it has now migrated across the United States to the New York City metropolitan area." He also noted that "here in Nassau County, our police department is going to be vigilant in making sure that anybody who commits a crime is tracked down, caught and arrested."
