NYC DAs React To Charge Downgrading Report

A House Judiciary Committee report released this week details how New York City prosecutors allegedly manipulated criminal charges to shield noncitizens from federal deportation proceedings. Three senior city elected officials confronted the findings during a press conference in Manhattan on Thursday, October 29.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez attended the event. Reporters questioned the group about specific allegations in the 22-page document. One journalist asked if any of the officials ordered their staff to lower gun charges to keep noncitizens in the country.

Katz responded by shrugging and raising her hands. She stated, "Our answer couldn’t help it," before a speaker moved the agenda forward. The reaction drew attention to the specific practices outlined in the congressional investigation.

The report cites a 2022 memorandum from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The document allegedly instructed prosecutors to seek outcomes that avoided deportation consequences for all misdemeanors and non-carceral felonies. The investigation also identifies an Immigration Specialist within Katz’s office who negotiates plea deals described as immigration-safe.

In the Bronx, District Attorney Darcel Clark’s office reportedly trains staff in Immigration-Conscious Plea Bargaining. This process involves offering non-deportable offenses and avoiding aggravated felony charges. Prosecutors are also said to use hypothetical charges such as attempted reckless assault, a count that lacks specific legal intent requirements.

The document claims prosecutors omitted critical details from official conviction records. These omissions included references to gun involvement, domestic relationships, and the age of minor victims. Such details could otherwise serve as grounds for federal immigration authorities to initiate removal.

A spokesperson for Katz’s office told Fox News Digital that the district charges any defendant with an illegal firearm with the highest possible charge under the law. Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of the other four New York city district attorneys for comment.