Former President Donald Trump is amplifying unsubstantiated claims of a migrant crime wave in New York City, following similar comments made by the NYPD commissioner that some city leaders have criticized as baseless fearmongering.
“A new category of crime is developing in New York City, and America itself, and it is bigger and more violent than anything seen in decades,” Trump said via his Truth Social platform on Thursday. “It’s called BIDEN MIGRANT CRIME, and it will be really dangerous and BAD.”
The Republican presidential candidate’s comments come as police have spotlighted crimes involving migrants. And while reading from prepared remarks 10 days earlier, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said, “in recent months, a wave of migrant crime has washed over our city.”
Caban’s claim followed two high-profile incidents in Times Square. The first was a brawl between migrants and police on Jan. 27 that drew national attention and outcry from conservative media, as well as pundits and politicians on both sides of the aisle. Two weeks later, a teen described as a migrant allegedly shot a bystander in Times Square and fired at police.
But police data doesn’t support a migrant-driven surge in crime. Police have been asked to provide statistics to substantiate the claim Caban made in his statement earlier this month, but have declined to do so. Major crime is down in several categories, including shootings and murder, according to NYPD statistics.
Trump’s echoing of Caban indicates how inaccurate statements about migrants can be weaponized amid a highly politicized environment leading up to the 2024 elections. Trump, whose posts are rebroadcast to millions of followers on various social media platforms, has aggressively attacked President Joe Biden’s border policies and stoked fears around immigration. Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has also faced criticism for his rhetoric on migrants, which has served as fodder for conservative media outlets and could…
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