A violent group affiliated with the notorious Tren de Aragua gang ambushed two NYPD officers in Times Square in a disturbing, caught-on-camera incident — marking the second time in under two years that migrants have launched a brutal assault against police in the heart of New York City.
The ambush occurred late Friday night following the boxing match between Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero. Law enforcement sources said the officers were trying to stop a group of asylum seekers from mugging two teenagers when they were suddenly attacked.
By Sunday afternoon, authorities had taken at least three suspects into custody, including a 12-year-old believed to be the group’s leader. The suspects were identified as part of a younger faction of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang known as Diablos de la 42, or Devils of 42nd Street, according to the same sources.
Officials said that several individuals involved in the attack were already wanted in connection with a series of brazen thefts in Central Park. The assault on the officers took place while the suspects were attempting another robbery, only to be intercepted by the NYPD.
“Is this what a sanctuary city is supposed to be?” one disillusioned officer asked. “One of these kids was 11 years old when he was the ringleader of that Central Park robbery pattern.”
“What is it going to take for some of this policy to change when you have an 11, now 12-year-old, running around — or anybody — committing these crimes?” the source said. “When is common sense going to prevail? Don’t we have a moral obligation?”
On Sunday, an NYPD representative confirmed that a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old had been arrested and charged with obstructing governmental administration, riot, and menacing. The 17-year-old was additionally charged with assaulting a police officer, reckless endangerment, and possessing a weapon.
A 14-year-old suspect was also charged, while the 12-year-old alleged leader was released after being taken into custody, pending a hearing in family court. Police said three more suspects are being actively investigated for their roles in the incident.
Due to their young ages, officials have not released any of the suspects’ names.
Authorities reported that the individuals involved were staying at the Row Hotel in Manhattan — one of many facilities across the city currently being used to shelter migrants at the expense of taxpayers.
New York City’s sanctuary city policy, which began welcoming thousands of border crossers in 2022, has made it possible for criminal elements like gang members to infiltrate the migrant population and enter the country under the radar.
The influx has placed significant strain on the city’s resources and law enforcement, leaving the NYPD struggling to manage a wave of crimes emanating from shelters, including two large tent encampments, repurposed schools, and even houses of worship.
This latest assault bore a chilling resemblance to an earlier incident in January 2024, when another gang of migrants attacked two officers in Times Square while they tried to disperse an unruly mob.
All but one of the perpetrators from the January attack have either been sentenced or released. One suspect is still awaiting trial.
{Matzav.com}A historic agreement involving rare earth minerals was recently signed between Ukraine and the Trump administration, reinforcing broader defense efforts initiated under the Biden years, which included ramped-up deliveries of air defense systems to help Ukraine push back against Russian aggression.
As part of this evolving effort, a Patriot missile defense system originally located in Israel is now being refurbished to be sent to Ukraine. At the same time, talks are underway among NATO partners to coordinate additional Patriot system deliveries from Germany or Greece, according to four individuals who spoke with The New York Times.
“President Trump has been clear: He wants the war in Ukraine to end and the killing to stop,” said National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt to the Times. He declined to give further details on the transfer plans.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stepped into a dual role, now also serving as acting national security adviser. Rubio has long advocated for Ukraine, tracing back to his tenure as the lead Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee during the Biden presidency, where he consistently supported pushing back on Russian expansionism.
A former Biden White House official confirmed to the Times that the decision to transfer Israel’s Patriot system to Ukraine had already been in motion as early as September, before Trump won the November election. Trump has often expressed a desire to scale back unlimited aid to Ukraine while promoting negotiations with Vladimir Putin to end the war.
In a statement to the Times, the Pentagon said it is still delivering hardware to Ukraine based on prior authorizations.
Although President Trump had previously expressed frustration with Ukraine’s leadership, the Times noted that his stance has shifted. After a series of tense exchanges with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump appears to have sharpened his criticism of Russia while becoming more receptive to Ukraine’s security needs.
Their most recent meeting took place at the funeral of Pope Francis, where Trump and Zelenskyy finalized the long-awaited minerals agreement. Supporters of the deal highlight that it offers Ukraine a form of strategic protection against Russian aggression while securing U.S. access to rare earth resources.
President Zelenskyy confirmed Saturday in Kyiv that the minerals deal had prompted Western allies to accelerate the provision of advanced missile defenses.
Zelenskyy, who has extended martial law and suspended democratic processes until August — a move that Trump has disapproved of — has repeatedly asked the U.S. to speed up Patriot deliveries.
These systems include radar and missile interceptors designed to shoot down incoming threats.
“We are ready to purchase the necessary number of Patriot systems for our country,”
Zelenskyy declared. “This is not about charity.”
Trump acknowledged that Zelenskyy brought up the issue of Patriots during their brief interaction at the papal funeral.
“He told me that he needs more weapons,” Trump told reporters. “He’s been saying that for three years. Look, he wants to do something good for his country.”
While Trump continues to encourage a truce or broader peace agreement, analysts warn that Russia is escalating its missile campaign. Kateryna Stepanenko of the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War told the Times that the increase in strikes is part of a larger psychological effort.
“Part of it is a psychological and political campaign that the Kremlin is waging, in which it’s trying to scare Ukrainian people into essentially accepting capitulation, when the realities of the battlefield for Russia are far from Russia actually winning,” she said.
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During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, President Donald Trump made the case that his proposed tariffs would bring significant financial benefit to the United States.
“The tariffs are going to make us rich. We’ll be a very rich country,” Trump said, emphasizing the potential economic upside of his trade policies.
Moderator Kristen Welker brought up comments Trump had made during a cabinet meeting, referencing his suggestion that children might end up with fewer toys, saying, “At your cabinet meeting, you said, ‘Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, and maybe the two dolls would cost a couple of bucks more than you would normally.’ Are you saying that the tariffs will cause some prices to go up?”
Trump pushed back on the notion that consumers would suffer due to the tariffs. “No, I think the tariffs will be great for us because it will make us rich,” he replied.
Welker pressed him again, pointing to his own example about doll prices. “You said some dolls will cost more. Isn’t that an acknowledgment will make prices to go up?”
In response, Trump minimized the concern, turning the focus to overconsumption and trade imbalances. “I don’t think a beautiful baby girl that’s 11 years old needs to have 30 dolls. They can have three or four dolls. What we were doing with China is unbelievable. We lost hundreds of billions with China.”
Trying to pin him down further, Welker asked, “When you say three dolls or 30 dolls, will Americans see empty store shelves?”
Trump dismissed that interpretation. “No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying they don’t need to have 30 dolls. They can have three. They don’t need 250 pencils. They can have five.”
Welker concluded by suggesting he was describing a situation that could lead to product shortages. “You are basically saying there could be supply shortages.”
Trump countered that the real issue wasn’t availability, but frivolous spending on imports. “I’m saying we don’t need to waste money on a trade deficit with China for things we don’t need, for junk we don’t need.”
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President Donald Trump has issued a bold directive to several top federal agencies — including the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security — ordering the revival and expansion of the infamous Alcatraz prison. His goal is to create a high-security facility for the nation’s most dangerous and repeat violent offenders.
In a Truth Social post, Trump reflected on a time when the U.S. took a no-nonsense approach to criminal justice. “REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” Trump wrote. “For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm.”
Trump emphasized that the proper course of action is to isolate repeat offenders, keeping them far removed from innocent citizens. He condemned the lawlessness plaguing cities and declared an end to leniency for repeat criminals. “That is why, today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders,” Trump continued. “We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally. The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Alcatraz Island, located in the San Francisco Bay, has a storied past as the location of one of the most notorious federal prisons in American history. The facility once housed infamous figures like crime boss Al Capone and gangster “Machine Gun Kelly,” as reported by The Hill.
The prison also held Robert Stroud, widely known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz,” according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Stroud was first convicted of manslaughter in 1909. After later killing a guard at Leavenworth, he was sentenced to death, a punishment later commuted to life imprisonment by President Woodrow Wilson.
The National Park Service describes Alcatraz, which operated as a federal penitentiary from 1934 until its closure in 1963, as emblematic of the government’s response to the surge in crime following the Prohibition and Great Depression eras.
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