New York’s top prosecutors faced pointed questions regarding a damning House Judiciary Committee report accusing them of intentionally downgrading charges to shield noncitizens from deportation, with officials appearing surprised and evasive. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, and New York Attorney General Letitia James were pressed on claims that their offices have altered or reduced charges to prevent convictions that would trigger removal proceedings. Katz’s response was a shrug and a statement of inability to help, before the press conference was steered away from the topic, despite her office’s spokesperson later denying leniency in weapons cases and stating they pursue the highest possible charges. The congressional report details alleged practices across the city, including Katz’s office employing an ‘Immigration Specialist’ to negotiate ‘immigration-safe’ plea deals, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s alleged directive to seek dispositions avoiding deportation consequences for misdemeanors and non-carceral felonies, and the Bronx DA Darcel Clark’s office training prosecutors in ‘Immigration-Conscious Plea Bargaining’—offering non-deportable offenses and even using legally questionable charges. Prosecutors were reportedly instructed to omit critical details from conviction records, such as gun involvement or victim age, to hinder federal immigration authorities’ ability to pursue deportation.
Adapted from: U.S. News Today on Fox News
