‘There You Go to Jail’: CNN Hosts Stunned By Former NYC Cop Explaining Why Migrants Come From Florida to Commit Crimes in NY

CNN This Morning hosts Phil Mattingly and Erica Hill spoke to chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller on Friday about the recent release of several migrants in New York City after they attacked police officers.

Mattingly began, reporting, “An update on the group of migrants arrested for attacking two New York police officers last week, an official telling CNN that four of the seven suspects have left the city on a bus to California and might be planning to flee to Mexico.”

“What are your sources telling you about how this is playing out?” Mattingly asked Miller.

“So, as you know, Phil, they were released without bail, so released on their own recognizance,” Miller replied, adding:

Much to the outrage of the police unions and many of the police officers since it was bailable offense. And obviously as people who got here a month ago without family, they have no roots in the community. But that was the decision. The judge didn’t hold them on bail. The DA didn’t ask for bail. So yesterday we learned that they went to a Catholic charity that helps migrants. They got four bus tickets under false names and got on a bus headed for Calexico through Saint Louis.

Now, normally, we probably wouldn’t even be talking about this because the U.S. marshals and detectives would be waiting for them in Saint Louis, but they were released on their own recognizance, which means police have nothing to arrest them on, on the assumption, which they have to operate on that. They’ll be back for their March 13th court date. The chances of that happening when four people get on a bus with false names and head for the city, that it literally, you can cross the street into the Mexican border, is probably unlikely. So that’s stirred a lot of controversy about the criminal justice reform and the assault on the police officers.

“It’s also fascinating what we’re hearing from officials. Specifically. I want to play what Governor Kathy Hochul had to say. Take a listen,” jumped in Hill, introducing a clip in which the New York governor said, “Get them all and send them back. You don’t touch our police officers. You don’t talk to anybody.”

“I mean, we’re hearing a change when it comes to immigration in general from President Biden on down. To here her talk about that? It is also directly related to the fact that these were police officers. Does that have any impact? Does that change anything?” Hill asked Miller.

“Well, it’s so complicated because, you know, you’re a New Yorker. You move through the city every day as I do. We see these people, we touch these people. They’re out looking for work. They’re delivering our food. They’re at the gas stations in the car wash,” Miller began, concluding:

I mean, these are people who came in waves. You know, 170,000, probably to New York City. But within that group, this hard working, you know, throngs of people in search of hope and a better life. There is this 1%, you know, criminal element that looks at a different opportunity here. These individuals I went over their rap sheets yesterday. Multiple charges. Grand larceny, robbery, attempted robbery, grand larceny, grand larceny. This particular crew operated on mopeds and scooters. They were doing organized retail theft. They were doing snatches on the street. iPhones, iPads, clothing, so on and so forth.

One of them that they are still seeking has ten charges on one day because he’s part of a pattern that’s been going on, and I’m looking at the dates that their arrest started, which is probably close to when they got here. They’ve only been here a couple of months. So what the detectives are telling me is they have crews here that operate in New York do all their stealing, then go to Florida to spend the money and then come back. And I’m like, well, why don’t they just stay and steal in Florida? And they said, ‘Because there you go to jail.’

After a brief pause, Hill replied, “Oh, well.”

“Great report. Keep us posted on this,” concluded Mattingly.

Watch the clip above via CNN.