AOC district neighborhood labeled ‘Third World’ as migrants clog streets and prostitutes overrun every block
FIRST ON FOX: An area in Squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district is being described as looking more like a Third World country as opposed to a thriving American neighborhood, as desperate migrants block up sidewalks selling food and shilling clothing items while prostitutes openly solicit sex from passersby — reportedly including teens. The neighborhoods of Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst — a once-vibrant community in northwestern Queens — has now essentially deteriorated into a large flea market with trash overflowing on street corners, leading to unsavory and unhygienic conditions, as video obtained by Fox News Digital shows. Meanwhile, the neighborhood’s main strip along Roosevelt Avenue has become so renowned for its prostitution that locals have nicknamed the area “the market of sweethearts,” and viral online videos advise prospective johns on how to make use of sex workers’ services there. NYC POLICE BEGIN KNOCKING DOWN THE DOORS OF ILLEGAL BROTHELS, STARTING IN QUEENS In exclusive Fox News Digital photos, sex workers were seen on Wednesday standing outside storefronts soliciting men. Residents say the prostitutes usually take their clients into makeshift brothels for sex. These alleged sex workers operate during all hours of the day, even as families walk by with their children in strollers, and often hang out in front of area supermarkets. Prostitution is against the law in New York. In video obtained by Fox News Digital, one local resident, Ramses Frías, takes a short walk along two streets in the neighborhood, shedding light on the conditions there. The video shows an almost endless stream of vendors with piles of clothes stacked along the streets, while others sell sneakers, pots and pans and toys and photo frames. At the end of the clip, three people can be seen sitting in the trunk of a car. The trio has a stall set up encroaching onto a pedestrian crossing and their used boxes block the path of walkers crossing the road. Only licensed vendors are permitted to sell food or goods in public spaces in New York. “Like most of my like-minded residents, we see this as a third-world market,” Frías, 43, tells Fox News Digital. “Basically, you just see clothes thrown across the floor … the items are stolen from donation bins or stolen from stores, and they just set up shop outside brick-and-mortar businesses. They take away trade from these businesses and don’t pay taxes.” “There are no repercussions; they get a free pass,” says Frías, who says the streets have become overrun by illegal street vendors while crime has been steadily increasing in the neighborhood. NYC MAN CHARGED WITH RAPING 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN HER HOME AFTER MEEETING HER ONLINE: POLICE The video was taken on the edge of Ocasio-Cortez’s 14th Congressional District. The area is mostly represented by progressive politicians, including Congresswoman Grace Meng, Assembly members Catalina Cruz, Steve Raga, Jessica González-Rojas and Council Member Shekar Krishnan. Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office, but did not receive a response for publication. The neighborhood is often touted as the most diverse in Queens and has long been a melting pot for migrants, but a portion of the migrant population there are reportedly in the U.S. illegally and don’t have permits to work, leaving them with no choice but to take to the streets to make ends meet, residents say. Meanwhile, Frías says that the prostitutes blatantly flaunt their bodies on the streets at all times of the day. “They do whatever they please, they are open about it and not discreet,” Frías says. “They line up all along 90th street in front of a pizzeria, a 99-cent store and just try to pull men. You’ll see multiple women in scantily clad clothing. Now it’s cold, they are a bit covered up, but it will get worse in the summer.” In January, the NYPD raided six establishments allegedly engaged in prostitution, which were issued closing orders. The raid was well publicized with New York City Mayor Eric Adams present. “Among these legal businesses, you have these single beds — it is clear what is taking place there and this is really bringing down the quality of life of this community and anyone who says this is a victimless crime, just really needs to see the inhumane conditions,” Adams said at the time. “Sex trafficking is real … and we’re not going to sit idly by and pretend that it’s not happening.” Adams at the time was joined by Council Member Francisco Moya, who has been a vocal opponent of prostitution and illegal vendors in the neighborhood, often at odds with fellow Democrats. NEW YORK EYES DECRIMINALIZING PROSTITUTION AFTER MAINE TAKES SIMILAR STEPS Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, says that the city has not been aggressive enough in tackling the prostitution issue since police say no arrests were made in relation to the raid. “When the NYPD finally padlocked some of the houses of prostitution, they did not arrest the prostitutes, johns or the madams,” said Sliwa, who was approached by residents last year to get involved in the situation. … They did not fine the landlords who were housing the prostitution. Many of the businesses where prostitutes now openly use their space are once again open for business 24/7.” “The cops won’t arrest the Johns and the District Attorney won’t prosecute the Johns,” Sliwa added. “The area is now a well-advertised red-light district for migrants. The girls are mostly Asian, the Johns are mostly Hispanics … some of whom are migrants. Nevertheless, Frías, a former Democrat, has become so enraged by the conditions that he is running for the Assembly District 39 seat as a Republican in a bid to reclaim the streets. The seat is currently held by Cruz, who tells Fox News Digital that a group of elected officials, separate from Moya, have been meeting with city and state agencies to work on “safe solutions for quality of life concerns.” Cruz has previously called for more permits to be issued for street vendors, and she has also
Ken Buck denies he’s leaving Congress early to hurt Lauren Boebert’s re-election chances: ‘It’s ridiculous’
Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., on Thursday rejected claims that his decision to resign from Congress early is intended to hurt Representative Lauren Boebert’s chances of winning in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District. Buck announced earlier this year that his current term would be his last in the House of Representatives. But on Tuesday, he stunned his GOP colleagues by announcing his resignation will be effective on March 22, which will trigger a special election for his seat in the 4th District on June 25 to temporarily fill the vacancy. Boebert, a Republican, slammed the move as “a gift to the uniparty” and claimed establishment Republicans were attempting to “rig” an election “I’m winning by 25 points.” Buck responded to those claims in an interview with the Colorado Sun on Friday. “It’s ridiculous,” he said, telling the paper he is not “giving anybody an advantage or disadvantage” in the race for his seat. LAUREN BOEBERT WON’T ‘FURTHER IMPERIL’ SLIM GOP MAJORITY BY RUNNING IN SPECIAL ELECTION FOR KEN BUCK’S SEAT “I have done my very best to stay out of this primary election,” Buck said. Buck explained that his decision to leave Congress early was based on his growing frustration with gridlock in Congress and desire to campaign for election reforms to improve the quality of candidates who win office, according to the Colorado Sun. “I want to be a voice for change in our system,” Buck told the outlet. He also said the timing of his decision was intended to have the special election coincide with Colorado’s June 25 primary, which will save taxpayer dollars. GOP COLORADO REP KEN BUCK TO RESIGN FROM CONGRESS BY END OF NEXT WEEK “I thought that was really important,” Buck said. Boebert said Wednesday she will not compete in the special election to fill Buck’s vacancy, as doing so would require her to vacate her own seat. LAUREN BOEBERT SWITCHES DISTRICTS, ANNOUNCING RUN FOR COLORADO SEAT BEING VACATED BY KEN BUCK “Forcing an unnecessary Special Election on the same day as the Primary Election will confuse voters, result in a lameduck Congressman on day one, and leave the 4th District with no representation for more than three months. The 4th District deserves better,” Boebert said in a post on X. “I will not further imperil the already very slim House Republican majority by resigning my current seat and will continue to deliver on my constituents’ priorities while also working hard to earn the votes of the people of Colorado’s 4th District who have made clear they are hungry for a real conservative,” she added. Boebert currently represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. But earlier this year, she announced her decision to run for re-election in Colorado’s 4th, where more Republicans live. The move is widely seen as a strategic choice after Democrat Adam Frisch came just 546 votes shy of defeating Boebert in the 2022 midterm election.
Chicago to start evicting illegal migrants from shelters Saturday
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to start evicting waves of illegal immigrants from the city’s shelter system this weekend as his 60-day rule kicks in. The policy, which has drawn sharp criticism from progressive lawmakers, has already been delayed several times since November due to the cold weather, but Johnson said Friday that 35 migrants will be told to leave on Saturday with around 5,600 expected to be booted out on a staggered basis over the coming weeks. There are currently 11,200 migrants being housed by the city, down from a late-December high of 14,900, according to the Chicago Tribune. SECOND CASE OF MEASLES CONFIRMED AT CHICAGO MIGRANT SHELTER Some eviction exemptions are being made for those who have medical conditions, are in the process of securing housing or experiencing domestic violence or are pregnant. There is also a measles outbreak at one of the shelters to consider. “There are exemptions even within this policy, that are still permissible,” Johnson said, according to Fox 32 Chicago. “Individuals who are in the process of securing housing or outmigration, if there are other extenuating circumstances around their health or pregnancy. There are a number of people who won’t be subject because they fall under that particular dimension of the policy.” A larger wave of about 2,000 migrants will be required to leave after next week and the end of April, the Chicago Tribune reports, citing the Johnson administration. TEXAS HAS SPENT NEARLY $150M BUSSING MIGRANTS TO ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES: REPORT Their evictions will be staggered, with 244 set to be removed by the end of March and 1,782 more are scheduled to be forced to leave Chicago shelters between April 1 and April 30, the publication reports. The evicted migrants will be directed back to the the city’s designated “landing zone,” at 800 S. Desplaines St., where they can reapply for a bed. The zone is essentially a temporary shelter where migrants can stay on parked city buses. About 10% of the migrants in brick-and-mortar shelters are eligible for employment authorization under federal law and around 1,300 households are in the process of securing state rental assistance, Fox 32 reports, citing state officials. Several City Council members opposed the evictions earlier this week, with 18 of them signing a letter to the mayor urging him not to go ahead with the policy, arguing that the migrants will be cut off from stability. The lawmakers also pressurized Johnson not to evict in January and he heeded their calls, although the weather was a lot harsher back then. On Wednesday, Johnson decried the absence of federal support and calling on Congress to punish Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for busing migrants to the sanctuary city, according to the Chicago Tribune. In January, Johnson argued Abbott had been “attacking” cities run by Black leaders with waves of migrants.
Ramadan repression in the West Bank
Violent repression in the West Bank is making a bad situation unbearable. With the global media’s attention trained on Gaza since October 7, things have worsened for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and near impossible for journalists to cover. With their movement severely restricted, dozens of Palestinian journalists have been arrested, often held without trial or charge. Contributors:Anan Quzmar – Journalist Assal Rad – Middle East Scholar and Author Mariam Barghouti – Writer and Journalist Oren Ziv – Journalist, +972 Magazine On our radar: Ahead of an upcoming election in India, there has been a slew of movie releases built around key Modi government talking points. Producer Tariq Nafi discusses Bollywood’s role in electioneering. George Soros – Financier, philanthropist Or bogeyman? Hungarian-American billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros has been at the centre of countless conspiracy theories. Flo Phillips sifts through fact and fiction to understand how the crusade against Soros became one of the most destructive smear campaigns of the 21st century and a blueprint for others. Featuring: Emily Tamkin – Author, The Influence Of Soros Hannes Grassegger – Reporter and Founder, Polaris News Marius Dragomir – Director, Center For Media, Data and Society (CMDS) Credits: George Soros images courtesy of the Open Society Foundations Adblock test (Why?)
‘Overthrow the system’: Haiti gang leader Cherizier seeks revolution
A powerful Haitian gang leader has rejected attempts by foreign nations for an electoral road map and a path to peace as the country plunges deeper into violent chaos and armed groups control most of the capital following the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Regional leaders of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) held an emergency summit last week to discuss a framework for a political transition, which the United States had urged to be “expedited” as gangs wrought chaos in the capital, Port-au-Prince, amid repeatedly postponed elections. “We’re not going to recognise the decisions that CARICOM takes,” Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, a former police officer whose gang rules vast swaths of Port-au-Prince, told Al Jazeera. Rights groups have accused his gang alliance of committing atrocities, including killings and rape. “I’m going to say to the traditional politicians that are sitting down with CARICOM, since they went with their families abroad, we who stayed in Haiti have to take the decisions,” Cherizier said, flanked by gang members wearing face masks, adding that he rejected plans for a transitional council made up of the country’s political parties. “It’s not just people with guns who’ve damaged the country but the politicians too,” he added. The United States and Caribbean nations have been pushing for the proposed council to appoint a new interim prime minister and lay a road map for elections. Cherizier and his G9 Family and Allies gang alliance have been major contributors to years of escalating violence and political instability in Port-au-Prince. They have blockaded fuel terminals, clashed with rival gangs and used violence to cement their grip on areas under their control, forcing thousands of Haitians to flee their homes. Cherizier – who is under sanctions from the United Nations, US and other countries – has been at the centre of a new surge in unrest in Port-au-Prince as he called for Henry’s resignation. In early March, Cherizier warned that Haiti faced the prospect of “civil war” if Henry did not step down. There have been widespread looting and pitched street battles in Haiti following the resignation last week of the 74-year-old Henry – and no plan in place for what comes next. The US, which denied pressuring Henry to step aside, called for a “political transition”. The Guatemalan and Salvadoran consulates were ransacked in Port-au-Prince along with hospitals as Henry’s office extended an overnight curfew to Sunday. Haitian civil society leaders welcomed the resignation of Henry, an unelected leader who was named for the post in 2021 shortly before the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, as a long overdue step. The prime minister was supposed to step down in February. He was effectively locked out of the country since the unrest spiralled, landing in Puerto Rico after being denied entry to the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The poorest country in the Western hemisphere has, for years, been saddled with corrupt leaders, and plagued by failed state institutions and violence wrought by rival armed groups. Call for ‘revolution’ While some political groups are putting their names forward for the council, seeing it as a way out of Haiti’s current power vacuum, Cherizier said he wants a revolution. “Now our fight will enter another phase – to overthrow the whole system, the system that is five percent of people who control 95 percent of the country’s wealth,” he told Al Jazeera. According to Robert Fatton, a Haiti expert at the University of Virginia, Cherizier likes to compare himself to historical figures like South Africa’s Nelson Mandela or Cuba’s longtime President Fidel Castro. “And he likes to say that he’s essentially a revolutionary … and he’s going to redistribute wealth,” Fatton told Al Jazeera this week. While Cherizier has distributed some food and resources to people in areas under the control of his G9 gang, “that’s hardly a vision of the future or some sort of revolutionary [act]”, he added. Once a transitional government is in place it could pave the way for a multinational police force on the ground in Haiti, funded by the US and Canada. Kenya’s President William Ruto said his country would lead such a force, which Cherizier rejected. “The presence of Kenyans in Haiti will be an irony because the same people who gave weapons to people in poor neighbourhoods to rise up against the former government, then lost control of those armed groups, are now appealing to a foreign force to save things,” he said. “It is a mission that’s failed in advance – it’s a shame that William Ruto has to go in that direction.” The UN has estimated that gangs currently control more than 80 percent of Port-au-Prince. Reporting from the Dominican Republic, Al Jazeera’s John Holman said the two rival gangs – the G9 and G-PEP – have formed an alliance called Viva Ensemble to try and prevent foreign troops from entering Haiti. “They know it would challenge them,” he said. “Haitians have suffered immensely at the gangs’ hands. But the power that they have accrued means that they have to be taken into account in what is a largely lawless state.” Fatton noted that “it’s more that he [Cherizier] wants to control his turf,” and that those who have suffered the most from the continued gang violence in the Haitian capital are “the very, very poor people in the major slums”. “Something like over 200,000 Haitians had to leave their houses. They had to move into really very poorly equipped camps,” Fatton said. “You have, in other words, a situation where the people who are suffering the most are the very poor, the very people that Barbecue says he wants to help.” Adblock test (Why?)
Israel approves plan to attack Gaza’s Rafah but keeps truce talks alive
Nod for long-threatened invasion of Rafah, home to 1.4 million displaced people, comes as Israel to send team to Qatar. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved plans for an attack on Rafah, where 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter, while planning to send a team to further truce talks in Qatar after mocking a ceasefire proposal by Hamas as “ridiculous”. Israel’s allies and critics warned Netanyahu against the invasion of Rafah fearing mass civilian casualties, but the Israeli government claims that the area in southern Gaza is one of the last strongholds of Hamas which it has pledged to eliminate. “Hopefully, the ground invasion of Rafah is just a bluff so they can use this as leverage to get something in negotiations. But everything Netanyahu said he will do, he did it, so I assume it is very likely this is going to happen,” Luciano Zaccara of the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University told Al Jazeera of Israel’s mixed messages. Hamas had presented a new ceasefire plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza that includes the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, with sources telling Al Jazeera that it would be a three-phased truce, with each stage lasting 42 days. A statement from Netanyahu’s office late on Friday said the Israeli military was “preparing operationally and for the evacuation of the population” of Rafah. However, it gave no timeframe and there was no immediate evidence of extra preparations on the ground. Widespread criticism Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut said Israel’s talk of an impending ground invasion in Rafah comes despite growing opposition, especially from its biggest political and military ally, the United States. “American officials say they simply wouldn’t support an operation such as this,” Salhut said, adding that Netanyahu has planned “both for the military invasion and evacuation of about 1.5 million Palestinians in Rafah”. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Austria on Friday that the US needed to see a clear and implementable plan from Israel for Rafah, including to get civilians out of harm’s way. Dutch foreign minister Hanke Slot said: “The Netherlands firmly repeats its call to Israel to refrain from such an offensive, which would result in an even bigger humanitarian catastrophe,” adding in a post on X that “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire is of the highest importance, resulting in a sustained cessation of hostilities”. The United Nations had already warned Israel last month that a ground invasion of Rafah “could lead to a slaughter in Gaza”. “They could also leave an already fragile humanitarian operation at death’s door,” UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said. Humanitarian situation ‘beyond catastrophic’ Jagan Chapagain, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said civilians in Gaza are “facing an unprecedented level of indignity, misery and suffering”. “The healthcare situation is on the brink of collapse with hospitals facing desperate conditions,” he said in a statement on X, adding that the humanitarian situation in the enclave is “beyond catastrophic”. Meanwhile, the first aid vessel to reach Gaza, operated by the Spanish charity Open Arms, has offloaded 200 tonnes of food aid to the enclave, completing a pilot project that could open the way for more assistance to come in via maritime corridors. US charity World Central Kitchen said a second shipment was being prepared in Cyprus and that thousands of tonnes of aid could reach Gaza each week going forward. Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly called for Israel to open more land border crossings to let in humanitarian supplies, insisting that airdrops and maritime corridors are costly and inefficient ways of delivering assistance. Adblock test (Why?)
Lok Sabha elections 2024 to be held in 7 phases, counting of votes on 4 June
The dates for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 were announced on Saturday by the Election Commission of India.
Assembly Elections Date 2024: EC announces voting dates for Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim
The Election Commission has announced the Assembly election dates for some states, along with the Lok Sabha elections.
Lok Sabha Election 2024: Voting on Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad seat on this date
Rahul Gandhi’s challenge on the Wayanad seat has intensified as CPI(M) has fielded Annie Raja as its candidate from there.
Colorado could become the first state to build separate prison units for transgender felons
Colorado is poised to become the first state in the country with segregated holding cells for transgender women in prison, if a judge signs off on it. After a class action lawsuit was filed by several transgender inmates in 2019 against the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) alleging discrimination, harassment and assault, a judge is scheduled to rule on a consent decree that would bring further changes – including surgical sex changes and hormone treatment – to the state’s penitentiary, Fox News Digital has learned. The consent decree, a court-ordered settlement in a legal dispute, would also require all trans women currently or previously in CDOC to receive a $2.1 million payout, depending on the severity of the alleged assault, discrimination and harassment while in prison. Rewards could range from $1,000 to $10,000 per plaintiff. TRANS INMATE WHO KILLED BABY AND IDENTIFIES AS MUSLIM WOMAN SUES CHAPLAIN FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT ALLOWING HIJAB Several of the plaintiffs seeking judicial approval of the consent decree are currently serving life without parole for homicide and assault, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. Keith Rivers, 46, now known as “Cupcake” is currently serving a life sentence for murdering a victim outside of a tavern in 1999. According to the class action lawsuit, Rivers came out as transgender in 2004 and has made “numerous requests for surgical treatment for her gender dysphoria,” which have been denied, “and she longs for competent talk therapy related to her gender dysphoria.” Another plaintiff, Andre Karpierz, who goes by “Lavinya,” 47, is also serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first degree murder. Karpierz is currently being held in the Denver Womens Correctional Facility, according to CDOC records. The class action lawsuit states Karpierz began hormone replacement therapy in 2016 and “continues to suffer from severe depression related to her [gender dysphoria] and has lived in constant fear of being raped in the male facilities.” Jordan Gallentine, known as “Jane,” 33, is also serving prison time for “attempted suicide by cop” and assault. According to the lawsuit, Gallentine “lives in a constant state of severe anxiety and depression due to lack of medical treatment, lack of mental health treatment, and a persistent fear of sexual assault and a violent death.” ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH Plaintiff Corwin Raven, 35, known as “Kandice,” is currently serving time for two separate assault charges and is scheduled to be released in 2026. According to court documents, Raven “has attempted suicide twice and attempted selfcastration as a means to deal with her severe gender dysphoria.” “Her numerous requests for transition-related surgery have been denied by CDOC,” the lawsuit alleges. A spokesperson for CDOC told Fox News Digital in a statement they “anticipate [a decision] will happen soon, but there is no specific timeline,” for its finalization. According to court documents, the decree “substantially improves the medical and mental health care provided” to plaintiffs and guards them “from cross-gender searches … access to women’s canteen items (such as cosmetics), requires CDOC to appropriately identify” transgender inmates, “and provides improved training on transgender issues to CDOC staff, medical and mental health providers, and leadership.” Colorado isn’t the first state to expand its facilities to include transgender hormone treatment or surgical sex changes. A similar case in Washington last year resulted in the requirement to provide these same treatments to inmates. And this week, the Department of Justice ruled Utah’s corrections department discriminated against a transgender inmate by refusing hormone therapy. Colorado Republican Party chairman Dave Williams called the consent decree another step the “woke left” is taking toward “up-ending our criminal justice system.” “We’re making accommodations for folks that we shouldn’t be making accommodations for,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “This is an outrageous situation.” “Taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill so these people can feel better about themselves,” Williams said. “Especially if they’ve committed homicide.” The decree would enact several changes. First, it would create two separate housing units for transgender women inmates: the “Voluntary Transgender Unit” (VTU) at the men’s Sterling Correctional Facility, and the “Integration Unit” (IU) at the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility. DETRANSITIONERS SAY THEY FACE VITRIOL FROM TRANS ACTIVISTS THEY PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED A ‘SECOND FAMILY’ The original lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of more than 100 trans women in CDOC, alleged the CDOC “expose[d] them to harassment, rape, sexual assault, and other violence,” at the hands of guards and other inmates. According to one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, Paula Greisen, the decree is “designed to bring new safety measures to protect these women from victimization in the men’s prisons.” Greisen told Fox News Digital the decree would also “allow the class members to transition to gender affirming housing at the women’s facility, and ensures that necessary medical and mental health treatment will be provided.” “These changes have the overwhelming support of the transgender community and we are all confident that the Court will sign the decree,” she said.