A violent mob of illegal migrant gangbangers, reportedly tied to the notorious Venezuelan cartel Tren de Aragua, ambushed two NYPD officers in Times Square over the weekend—once again bringing New York City’s sanctuary policies under fire.
The gang, known as Diablos de la 42nd Street, is believed to be a juvenile offshoot of Tren de Aragua, and includes members as young as 11 and 12 years old, according to an explosive report from The New York Post.
The chaos erupted when officers tried to stop the group from robbing two youngsters late Friday night. Instead of fleeing, the crew turned on the police and launched a brutal assault.
“Baby-Faced Wolves”: A 12-Year-Old Ringleader and the Rise of Juvenile Migrant Gangs
At least three suspects were arrested by Sunday, including a 12-year-old believed to be the gang’s leader, sources confirmed. The same child had previously been identified as the ringleader of a Central Park robbery pattern that shocked the city earlier this year.
“Is this what a sanctuary city is supposed to be?” a frustrated NYPD officer told The Post. “What’s it going to take for policies to change?”
“When you have an 11, now 12-year-old running organized robberies and attacking cops, it’s beyond dysfunction—it’s dangerous. Don’t we have a moral obligation to stop this?”
Central Park to Times Square: A Growing Pattern of “Wolf Pack” Robberies
The same group of minors is reportedly responsible for a series of robberies throughout Central Park, including an incident in which stolen credit cards were later used at multiple Manhattan retailers. Surveillance footage helped police link the gang’s phone data to the Roosevelt Hotel, the city’s primary migrant intake center.
All suspects in Friday’s incident are migrants being housed at taxpayer expense in the Row NYC Hotel—a luxury facility converted into a sanctuary-funded shelter under Mayor Adams’ policy.
This marks at least the second time in less than a year that migrant mobs have been caught assaulting police officers in or near Times Square. In 2024, a video went viral showing several migrants kicking and stomping on NYPD officers during a similar altercation.
NYPD: “We Believe They’re Behind Most of the Attacks”
“We think they’re responsible for most of them, if not all of them,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell stated in a press briefing, referring to the Central Park and Times Square incidents.
Chell and other officials are now raising alarms over a rising wave of “wolf pack”-style thefts and assaults conducted by migrant youth who arrived unaccompanied and are now exploiting NYC’s sanctuary protections.
The Cost of Chaos
New York residents are now questioning how long the city can sustain sanctuary policies that appear to be enabling dangerous behavior among criminal gangs using the system as a shield. Many of these youths reportedly arrived unvetted and without guardians, yet now roam the streets under taxpayer-funded housing, committing violent crimes.
The incident comes amid increasing pressure on the Biden administration’s border and immigration policies, with federal funding being funneled into sanctuary cities that now face a wave of crime and public backlash.
As one NYPD source put it bluntly:
“These aren’t just kids stealing candy. They’re part of a gang. They’re organized. They’re violent. And we are the ones bleeding for it.”
The question remains: How many more attacks will it take before common sense prevails?