House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is going to make President Biden’s State of the Union Address just a tad more uncomfortable by extending an invitation to attend to a couple of NYPD officers who were recently attacked by suspected illegal immigrants.
NYPD Police Officer Zunxu Tian with Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) and Lt. Ben Kurian with Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), the New York Post reported.
“Sanctuary cities have endangered American citizens across the country. Brave law enforcement officers, like NYPD Lieutenant Ben Kurian and Police Officer Zunxu Tian, should never be victims of the senseless crimes these policies encourage,” Johnson said in a statement obtained by the outlet.
“Our NYPD officers are on the front line every single day working to keep our streets safe, and unfortunately, now they are being forced to deal with hundreds of violent crimes being committed by those in our country illegally,” Malliotakis said in a statement, per The Post.
“I’m honored to have Lt. Kurian accompany me to the State of the Union to not only show support for New York City’s finest but to also bring attention to the need for the Biden Administration to end its dangerous border policies.”
New York City has enacted several “sanctuary city” laws aimed at limiting assistance in enforcing federal immigration statutes. According to The Post, Mayor Eric Adams has recently proposed scaling back some of these laws as the city faces an influx of migrants residing in the country illegally, leading to local discontent over benefits being extended to them.
The Post noted further:
During the violent encounter back in January, Kurian and Tian told the group of migrants from the Candler Building shelter to move along on West 42nd Street in Manhattan as they sought to break up an unruly crowd, but tensions boiled over.
A scrap broke out between a migrant and two of New York’s Finest. Then others joined in and pummeled the officers, including kicks to the head and body of the duo, before fleeing.
“Nothing exemplifies the courageous American spirit quite like our nation’s law enforcement professionals,” D’Esposito, a former NYPD detective, noted, the outlet reported. “For their courage, I am glad they will be recognized by the American people for their commitment to protecting the public.”
