The NYPD raided an illegal open-air “flea market” in Squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district, confiscating counterfeit goods. However, some sellers have returned to the streets to continue selling their merchandise. Many of these sellers, who are reportedly migrants, have been blocking sidewalks and selling various items such as second-hand goods and clothes in the neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Corona, and Elmhurst. Local residents have described the area as looking like a Third World country due to its shabby and unsanitary conditions, with prostitution also prevalent in the neighborhood.
Videos obtained by Fox News Digital show vendors lined up along the streets selling clothes, sneakers, pots, pans, toys, and photo frames, along with prostitutes frequenting the area. Police conducted raids on the hotspot along Roosevelt Avenue near 91st Street, loading confiscated goods into an NYPD truck. The sanitation department and other agencies also participated in the raid. A former Democrat turned Republican, Ramses Frías, captured video showing vendors back on the streets selling their goods, indicating that the raid was short-lived. Frías warns that conditions will worsen once the weather heats up without consistent enforcement against illegal vendors.
The area where the raid took place is part of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 14th Congressional District and is represented by various progressive politicians. Council Member Moya, a vocal opponent of illegal vendors and prostitution in the neighborhood, has worked with the NYPD and the mayor in raids on brothels, although no arrests were made during these operations. After the recent raid, Mayor Eric Adams blamed the situation on illegal immigrants not being able to work, stating that migrants have a “right to work” in the U.S. and preventing them from doing so is “anti-American.” The mayor cited the congestion and garbage caused by illegal vendors as a major complaint from residents in the area.
The political representatives of the district, including Ocasio-Cortez, Assembly Members Cruz, González-Rojas, and others have been criticized for neglecting the issues of illegal markets, prostitution, and crime in the neighborhood. A state Assembly candidate, Ramses Frías, expressed frustration with the situation and the lack of action from local officials. He emphasized the need for a consistent police presence and education to address the problem of illegal vendors. Council Member Moya, who has also been outspoken about the issues in the neighborhood, expressed support for the recent police crackdown on illegal vendors and called for an end to the lawlessness in the area.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been vocal about the connection between the inability of illegal immigrants to work and the problems in the city. He has emphasized that migrants have a right to work in the U.S. and not allowing them to do so contributes to issues such as illegal shops and sex trafficking. Adams cited the presence of thousands of migrants on Randall’s Island who cannot work as an example of the problem. A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez did not respond to requests for comment on the situation in her district and the recent police raid on illegal vendors.
