House Judiciary Report Accuses New York City DAs of Downgrading Charges So Noncitizens Avoid Deportation; Queens DA Katz Shrugs at the Question
Fox News says a 22-page committee report describes 'immigration-safe' plea deals in the Queens, Manhattan and Bronx offices. Katz's office says it charges illegal firearms at the highest level. The report's claims are allegations, and four other DAs have not responded.
Three of New York's top elected law enforcement officials were asked Thursday about a congressional report accusing city prosecutors of shielding noncitizens from removal, Fox News reports.
The question. At a Manhattan press conference, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez were asked whether any of them ordered prosecutors to downgrade gun charges to keep illegal immigrants in the country. The New York Post reported that Katz threw up her hands and shrugged. A speaker then asked for "any other on-topic questions."
The report. Fox says the 22-page House Judiciary Committee report describes practices across the city's prosecutors' offices. It says Katz's office employs an "Immigration Specialist" to help negotiate "immigration-safe" plea deals and reduce past convictions. It cites a 2022 memorandum from Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg allegedly telling prosecutors to seek outcomes that avoid deportation consequences for all misdemeanors and non-carceral felonies. It says the Bronx office under DA Darcel Clark trains prosecutors in "Immigration-Conscious Plea Bargaining," including offering non-deportable offenses, avoiding aggravated felony charges and using "legally impossible" charges such as "attempted reckless assault." The report also alleges prosecutors were told to leave details such as gun involvement, domestic relationships or the age of minor victims out of conviction records so federal immigration authorities could not use them.
The response. "We charge any defendant with an illegal firearm with the highest possible charge under the law," a Katz spokesperson told Fox News Digital. After the press conference the spokesperson told the Post that leniency is never shown in weapons cases. Fox says it asked the other four city DA offices for comment.
Note for readers: the report's account is the committee's, and we have not read it. Fox does not report any charges against the officials named.