The inexplicable actions of the NYPD, obstructing a Post reporter from conducting interviews with migrants camped outside Midtown’s Roosevelt Hotel, have raised eyebrows. While the public campout was undoubtedly a source of embarrassment for the Adams administration, it certainly does not warrant deeming it “exigent circumstances,” as the police claimed, to prevent reporters from communicating with the migrants themselves.
In a misguided attempt to dissuade the reporter, one officer audaciously asserted, “You don’t have to be here, you want to be here.” This is categorically incorrect. The convergence of a massive gathering of illegal migrants in the bustling economic epicenter of our nation’s largest city, waiting for processing through an insufficient and hastily constructed system, is undeniably newsworthy. The fact that this crisis is a direct consequence of federal policy only further cements its significance. Consequently, impeding upon the First Amendment rights of our reporters in response to this situation is wholly unacceptable.
On August 2, 2023, a Post reporter was explicitly prevented from engaging with migrants outside the Roosevelt Hotel. This move not only hinders the migrants’ right to express themselves but also infringes upon the rights of New Yorkers, and indeed everyone, to hear directly from the migrants themselves. There are pivotal questions that need to be answered: Where did they come from? How did they arrive here? Are they receiving adequate treatment? Why did they choose New York? Do they have plans for a long-term life in this city? These inquiries are essential, even if their answers might unsettle those in positions of power.
What were the cops (or whoever directed them) hoping to accomplish with this action? Did they honestly believe that preventing assertive journalists from delving into this obvious mess would magically resolve the situation? The absence of any acknowledgment or accountability from the department brass confirms that this was indeed a blunder. Disappointingly, the Adams administration has also feigned ignorance, with Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom stating, “That seems strange, I’ll investigate.”
Furthermore, it has come to light that a private contractor hired by the city, DocGo, has allegedly engaged in similar tactics with New York Times reporters, blocking their access to migrants in an Albany hotel. While there are viable policy solutions to address our migrant crisis, resorting to banan-republic-esque tactics against the press is unequivocally not one of them.
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