AOC's 'red light' district overrun with prostitutes as locals call out MIA 'Squad' member

It’s the Third World meets Bangkok.

In "Squad" subordinate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s territory successful New York City, those who are described arsenic scantily dressed migrant prostitutes enactment blocks of a agelong commercialized portion during each hours of the time and night, brazenly soliciting enactment to passersby portion their pimps onslaught fearfulness into section concern owners, 1 of whom told Fox News Digital he’s been threatened for speaking retired and is connected the verge of closing his store.

The trash-filled streets of Roosevelt Avenue successful Queens, which encompasses the migrant-heavy communities of Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, has go a veritable hotbed for 1 of the world’s oldest professions, and residents accidental that astir elected officials and constabulary are turning a unsighted oculus to the vicinity nightmare, which looks much similar the famed brothel-filled red-light territory streets of Bangkok than 1 of America’s biggest cities.

Illegal vendors besides overrun the sidewalks, plying their hustle successful what residents person likened to "Third World" conditions, cooking blistery nutrient retired successful the unfastened devoid of immoderate wellness certifications oregon inspections arsenic bare birds swoop down successful hunt of leftovers and leaving their droppings on the way. 

AOC DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOOD LABELED 'THIRD WORLD' AS MIGRANTS CLOG STREETS AND PROSTITUTES OVERRUN EVERY BLOCK

Alleged prostitutes enactment a thoroughfare successful Queens, New York City. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)

Known to locals arsenic the "Avenue of the Sweethearts," this epicenter of vice is not immoderate desolate country connected the outskirts of a metropolis but alternatively the bosom of the borough of Queens underneath the area’s main subway way that serves arsenic a captious cog connecting Manhattan and its section schools to families, galore of whom watercourse down the subway steps and are past inescapably met by armies of prowling solicitors. 

Fox News Digital adjacent recorded a antheral pushing his young lad successful a stroller past a radical of 5 enactment workers.

Residents accidental that students walk prostitutes each time connected their mode to schoolhouse oregon connected their mode to section taekwondo centers situated on the engaged portion and that the concern has go the norm for their youthful eyes with the alleged enactment workers, mostly composed of Asian and Hispanic women, filling the sidewalks. 

On Sept. 18, the NYPD raided a brothel conscionable disconnected Roosevelt Avenue and arrested 3 people. The pursuing evening, Fox News Digital was conducting an interrogation successful beforehand of the raided premises erstwhile an alleged enactment idiosyncratic and her reported john casually walked retired of the aforesaid building. 

On 1 artifact on Roosevelt Avenue, Fox News Digital cameras recorded a enactment of nary little than 19 alleged enactment workers connected the sidewalk. Around the corner, determination were astatine slightest 7 more, and a pistillate connected the adjacent artifact was witnessed soliciting enactment for $60.

Nearby, vendors merchantability everything from utilized apparel to pots and pans oregon tools. More recently, pistillate vendors person begun cutting hairsbreadth and coating nails nether canopies connected the cluttered sidewalks, with each of these amerciable vendors operating feet from morganatic brick-and-mortar stores whose owners rage they are being undercut successful prices portion besides having to wage taxes, dissimilar the amerciable vendors.

Shoplifting and pick-pocketing is besides widespread, concern owners say, and there’s a consciousness present that lawlessness is breeding much lawlessness.

An alleged enactment idiosyncratic successful AOC's territory texting. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)

NYPD SWEEPS VENDORS OVERRUNNING AOC'S DISTRICT — BUT SELLERS SWARM THE STREETS AGAIN, SELLING GOODS

On Sept. 19, the time aft the raid, Fox News Digital witnessed a antheral being arrested for allegedly groping a 17-year-old miss arsenic she walked down the subway steps. 

In constabulary handcuffs, helium denied the accusations to onlookers. The girl, who was being comforted by adults, looked visibly shaken.

Ramses Frías, a section nonmigratory turned activist, is furious with the deterioration of his vicinity and says "it feels similar Bangkok with women extracurricular locations and pulling men disconnected the street."

"This country has been tally rampant with prostitution," helium told Fox News Digital extracurricular the raided brothel. "It's conscionable been retired of power and the lawlessness continues to happen." 

"This doesn’t consciousness similar my home. I've been present my full life, and this feels similar I'm a tourer successful a Third World country. This is not however this is expected to look, this is not however it's expected to feel," helium insisted. "This is simply a vicinity and a assemblage afloat of hardworking individuals, immigrants and second-generation Americans that worked truly hard to beryllium present and are facing each this evil and each these atrocious things. ... And it's conscionable causing much issues regular and our prime of beingness conscionable continues to drop."

Seconds later, an alleged enactment idiosyncratic and her lawsuit emerged from the brothel.

A neighboring concern proprietor past ushered Fox News Digital into his store, informing that "pimps" were watching via CCTV. The store proprietor did not privation to beryllium named but said helium had reported the cathouse to constabulary and had been threatened by those progressive with the brothel. 

"I’m truthful scared, this is my business," helium said, adding that his concern is suffering due to the fact that customers are avoiding the country and volition apt person to adjacent due to the fact that of it. 

Several blocks successful "Squad" subordinate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s territory successful Queens are lined with scantily clad migrant women who reportedly connection amerciable services. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)

Curtis Sliwa, the laminitis of the Guardian Angels and a Republican campaigner for mayor, says prostitution has exploded successful the vicinity aft the pimps and enactment workers were driven retired of the adjacent country of Flushing, good known for its Asian population. 

"It was ne'er similar this. It was a household country with a batch of retail," Sliwa told Fox News Digital of Roosevelt Avenue. "The Chinese assemblage pushed it retired [of Flushing] and Asian cops were getting busted due to the fact that they were connected the take, truthful they conscionable decided, the madams, bring the girls implicit present … and its unfastened prostitution, 24/7. [It's] lawless. Anarchy. You get to bash what you privation erstwhile you want."

Two NYPD officers were busted successful 2006 connected bribery charges relating to the extortion of a brothel successful Flushing, and determination are akin cases stretching backmost further. 

Sliwa says the constabulary and New York City Mayor Eric Adams are not doing capable to clamp down connected the racket. In January, the NYPD raided six establishments allegedly engaged successful prostitution, which were issued closing orders. The raid was good publicized, with Adams and section Democrat City Council subordinate Francisco Moya present. However, it appears to person done small to curb the problem. 

A radical of alleged enactment workers connected a country connected Roosevelt Avenue successful Queens, New York City. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)

Sliwa slammed it arsenic a "show raid" and said determination were nary arrests. 

"They didn't apprehension the johns, prostitutes, madams; they ne'er went aft the landlords, and they were backmost successful concern the adjacent day," said Sliwa, who joined Fox News Digital and Frías connected a walking circuit of the area. 

The Queens District Attorney's Office confirmed that nary arrests were made, saying it was strictly carried retired to service tribunal closure orders of nuisance abatement implicit which the NYPD has jurisdiction. 

"This would ne'er beryllium tolerated successful Manhattan. They tolerate it due to the fact that it's … a mediocre and impoverished country successful the eyes of galore New Yorkers, but that doesn't springiness you a crushed to let this to exist," Sliwa said. "This is truthful unfair … and the politician is allowing a civilization of corruption to exist. These constabulary officers are connected the take. It's the lone mode they could run openly. They'll say, ‘We contradict that.’ Well, that's what happened successful Flushing and that's wherefore they pushed it implicit here."

Adams' bureau did not respond to a petition for comment. The NYPD confirmed the 3 arrests aft the Sept. 18 raid but did not respond to a petition for further comment.

No constabulary officers person been charged for being progressive successful prostitution successful caller years. In 2018, 7 NYPD officers — 3 sergeants, 2 detectives and 2 officers — were indicted successful transportation with an amerciable prostitution and gambling ringing successful Brooklyn and Queens, which encompassed Roosevelt Avenue.

Separately, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told Fox News that it suspects members of the brutal Tren de Aragua are linked to prostitution successful the area, trafficking women into the manufacture to wage disconnected the debts the pack is owed for smuggling them into the country. 

A antheral dormant connected a thoroughfare surrounded by trash and clothes. (Ramses Frias)

Meanwhile, the Queens District Attorney’s Office says it is moving hard to stamp retired prostitution and transgression successful the area, noting the bureau has "evicted 13 prostitution locations this twelvemonth being utilized for amerciable enactment connected oregon adjacent Roosevelt Avenue." The bureau says it's successful the process of permanently shutting down the raided brothel.

Of Ocasio-Cortez, Frías said the socialist lawmaker has not been seen successful the vicinity since she took portion successful a rally determination successful August 2023, wherever she condemned a metropolis crackdown connected illegally operating vendors and called for the metropolis to contented much permits to those vendors. 

"She does not sojourn this area; this is really an country wherever she campaigned the hardest and a batch of radical went retired [to vote] for her, and she doesn't travel implicit here. She has wholly neglected us," Frías said, noting that different section elected officials are seldom seen successful the area, which is lone represented by Democrats.

"So, we're wholly neglected, we're present to fend for ourselves and this is what we person to bash now. We're going to organize. We're going to person a rally coming up connected Sept. 29, and we're going to fto our voices beryllium heard and marque definite that the metropolis understands that they request to travel implicit present and bash their job," helium adds. 

From left, Ramses Frías, Curtis Sliwa, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, City Council subordinate Francisco Moya (Ramses Frias |  Getty Images)

Ocasio-Cortez’s bureau did not respond to repeated requests for remark connected this communicative oregon connected a March communicative successful which Fox News Digital brought attraction to the neighborhood’s plight, featuring the further work of a now-viral video provided by Frías showing an astir endless watercourse of vendors with piles of apparel stacked on the streets.

Police swept the country days aboriginal and Frías – a erstwhile Democrat who is moving for City Council arsenic a Republican adjacent twelvemonth – said vendors person simply acceptable up store determination again. 

Rep. Grace Meng, whose territory besides encompasses Roosevelt Avenue, said successful a one-line statement, "Quality of beingness and information issues request to ever beryllium addressed, and I stay successful interaction with the 110th precinct, Councilman Moya, our section assemblage committee and different section elected officials."

'SHARK TANK'S' KEVIN O'LEARY SHREDS AOC OVER HER DISTRICT LOOKING LIKE A 'THIRD WORLD COUNTRY'

Frías besides took purpose astatine authorities Sen. Jessica Ramos, a Democrat who represents the country and is moving for mayor. She has antecedently labeled prostitution connected the portion arsenic "survival work" and successful 2019 co-sponsored a bid of bills that would person decriminalized enactment enactment and vacated the records of radical arrested oregon charged with prostitution oregon related offenses.

Ramos told Fox News Digital she was blessed to spot the caller raid instrumentality spot and pitted blasted connected the politician for the unsavory situation, saying Adams' bureau has been sidetracked by scandals alternatively than addressing the concerns of the community. 

"No 1 wants to spot radical selling sex, particularly erstwhile they’re being coerced by traffickers. It’s unclear what took truthful long," Ramos said successful a statement. 

"The underground system has spiraled retired of control," she added, referencing the amerciable vendors. "Without enactment permits from the ‘feds,’ migrants request honorable enactment to supply for themselves. The information is the migrants are here, and they privation to work."

Used apparel and different utilized items for merchantability are seen on a clogged sidewalk successful Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's territory successful Queens. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)

Meanwhile, Moya, who attended the January raid and has rallied alongside alleged "clean streets" advocates like Frías, said that his fellow Democrats are impeding efforts to unopen down the brothels and amerciable vendors. 

"I’ve lived my full beingness successful this district, and I’ve ne'er seen it this bad," Moya said of the prostitution. "After COVID, the concern has worsened significantly. The influx of migrants plays a portion successful this issue, arsenic galore person nary different means of survival. The national authorities has turned a unsighted oculus to the concern and there’s lone truthful overmuch the metropolis tin do, since we don’t person the authorization to assistance enactment permits oregon ineligible presumption to those successful need."

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Moya said different elected officials person been calling up metropolis agencies demanding that each enforcement stop.

"Some elected officials don’t spot this arsenic a problem, suggesting that ‘work is work’ and we should fto it be. I judge that if a authorities typical wants to legalize prostitution, it should beryllium done with strict rules and regulations, successful designated areas similar the metropolis of Amsterdam – not successful our community, particularly adjacent schools wherever children walk by and witnesser these activities daily," helium insisted. 

"I’m doing everything successful my powerfulness to mitigate this issue, arsenic you tin spot galore person been investigated and shutdown – but what I person been doing is being undermined by these leaders who don’t admit the urgent request for change. Yet, I guarantee you, I volition not halt until important alteration is made."

Prostitutes astatine enactment successful Queens, New York City, successful "Squad" subordinate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)