Queens, NY – New York state troopers have been dispatched to help clean up a crime-ridden stretch of Queens, part of which falls within the district of “defund the police” advocate Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The area has been plagued by rampant prostitution, illegal street vendors, and robberies, drawing comparisons from residents to conditions in a Third World country.
The troopers were deployed as part of a broader multi-agency effort led by New York City Mayor Eric Adams called “Operation Restore Roosevelt.” This initiative will restore law and order to the nearly two-mile stretch along Roosevelt Avenue in Elmhurst, North Corona, and Jackson Heights over the next 90 days. This commercial strip has become notorious as a red-light district, with scantily clad migrant prostitutes soliciting at all hours.
Illegal vendors have also overrun the sidewalks, cooking food openly while selling used clothing, household items, and tools. According to local reports, brothels have flourished to such an extent that a Democratic politician claimed there are “more brothels than bodegas” in the area.
Last month, Fox News Digital captured footage showing at least 19 alleged sex workers on one block of Roosevelt Avenue, with several others spotted nearby.
One woman was observed offering sex for $60, while Fox News Digital also recorded footage of an alleged sex worker and client emerging from a known brothel that had been raided multiple times.
The area, referred to locally as the “Avenue of the Sweethearts,” has become an epicentre of vice, with sex workers operating openly near schools and community centres, raising concerns among parents.
Mayor Adams addressed these issues during a press conference, stating, “We will end sex trafficking in this area… We’re here for the problem to go away.”
Adams, alongside top NYPD officials, emphasised that the increased law enforcement presence includes 42 sergeants, nine lieutenants, and 176 police officers, bolstered by state troopers and multiple city agencies.
The goal is to dismantle the criminal networks that have taken hold in the area.
Residents have long called for action to address the rampant crime in the district. Brothel raids earlier this year, attended by Mayor Adams, had little effect, with the situation worsening over the summer, according to locals.
Democratic politician Hiram Monserrate, who described the area as an “urban crime zone,” reported that around 200 officers and troopers gathered along Roosevelt Avenue on Tuesday as part of the operation.
Monserrate, pushing for more vigorous enforcement and police presence, welcomed the new initiative.
He credited grassroots groups with advocating for change and described the operation as a victory for community-led efforts. “Today, true leadership stood up and began the process of taking Roosevelt Avenue back from the street gangs, cartels, human traffickers, and other criminal operations,” he said.
Monserrate noted that police patrols in the area had been reduced by roughly a third in
