The area is reportedly overrun by desperate migrants who have taken to selling food and clothing items on sidewalks, while prostitutes brazenly solicit passersby, including teenagers, for sex.
The neighborhoods of Corona, Jackson Heights, and Elmhurst, once a vibrant community in northwestern Queens, have now essentially deteriorated into a large flea market. Trash is overflowing on street corners, leading to unsanitary conditions, as video footage obtained by Fox News Digital reveals.
The main strip of the neighborhood along Roosevelt Avenue has become infamous for its rampant prostitution, earning it the local nickname "the market of sweethearts." Online videos have even surfaced, providing guidance for potential customers on how to avail themselves of the sex workers' services in the area.
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In exclusive photos obtained by Fox News Digital, sex workers were observed on Wednesday soliciting men outside storefronts. According to local residents, these prostitutes often take their clients into makeshift brothels for sex. These alleged sex workers operate at all hours, even in the presence of families with children. It should be noted that prostitution is illegal in New York.
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In a video obtained by Fox News Digital, local resident Ramses Frías provides a glimpse into the conditions in the neighborhood. The footage shows a seemingly endless stream of vendors with piles of clothes stacked along the streets, while others sell various items ranging from sneakers to pots and pans, toys, and photo frames.
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Towards the end of the clip, three individuals can be seen sitting in the trunk of a car. They have set up a stall that encroaches onto a pedestrian crossing, and their used boxes obstruct the path of pedestrians. It is important to note that only licensed vendors are allowed to sell food or goods in public spaces in New York.
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"Like most of my like-minded residents, we see this as a third-world market," Frías, 43, tells Fox News Digital. "Basically, you just see clothes thrown across the floor … the items are stolen from donation bins or stolen from stores, and they just set up shop outside brick-and-mortar businesses. They take away trade from these businesses and don't pay taxes."
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Frías laments the lack of repercussions for these illegal activities, stating that the streets have become overrun by illegal street vendors, and crime has been steadily increasing in the neighborhood.
The video was taken on the edge of Ocasio-Cortez’s 14th Congressional District. The area is primarily represented by progressive politicians, including Congresswoman Grace Meng, Assembly members Catalina Cruz, Steve Raga, Jessica González-Rojas, and Council Member Shekar Krishnan. Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's office, but did not receive a response for publication.
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The neighborhood is often celebrated as the most diverse in Queens and has long been a melting pot for migrants. However, a portion of the migrant population there is reportedly in the U.S. illegally and lacks work permits, leaving them with no choice but to take to the streets to make ends meet, residents say.
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Meanwhile, Frías reports that the prostitutes blatantly flaunt their bodies on the streets at all times of the day.
"They do whatever they please, they are open about it and not discreet," Frías says. "They line up all along 90th street in front of a pizzeria, a 99-cent store and just try to pull men. You’ll see multiple women in scantily clad clothing. Now it's cold, they are a bit covered up, but it will get worse in the summer."
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In January, the NYPD raided six establishments allegedly engaged in prostitution, which were issued closing orders. The raid was well publicized with New York City Mayor Eric Adams present.
"Among these legal businesses, you have these single beds — it is clear what is taking place there and this is really bringing down the quality of life of this community and anyone who says this is a victimless crime, just really needs to see the inhumane conditions," Adams said at the time. "Sex trafficking is real … and we’re not going to sit idly by and pretend that it's not happening."
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Adams was joined by Council Member Francisco Moya, who has been a vocal opponent of prostitution and illegal vendors in the neighborhood, often at odds with fellow Democrats.
Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, argues that the city has not been aggressive enough in tackling the prostitution issue since police say no arrests were made in relation to the raid.
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"When the NYPD finally padlocked some of the houses of prostitution, they did not arrest the prostitutes, johns or the madams," said Sliwa, who was approached by residents last year to get involved in the situation. . . . They did not fine the landlords who were housing the prostitution. Many of the businesses where prostitutes now openly use their space are once again open for business 24/7."
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"The cops won't arrest the Johns and the District Attorney won't prosecute the Johns," Sliwa added. "The area is now a well-advertised red-light district for migrants. The girls are mostly Asian, the Johns are mostly Hispanics … some of whom are migrants.
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Despite the grim situation, Frías, a former Democrat, has become so enraged by the conditions that he is running for the Assembly District 39 seat as a Republican in a bid to reclaim the streets.
The seat is currently held by Cruz, who tells Fox News Digital that a group of elected officials, separate from Moya, have been meeting with city and state agencies to work on "safe solutions for quality of life concerns." Cruz has previously called for more permits to be issued for street vendors, and she has also sponsored legislation to decriminalize prostitution. Ocasio-Cortez herself has also called on the city to issue more vendor permits.
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"Our goal is and always has been to establish solutions that ensure our community’s economic and physical well-being," says Cruz, adding that the January raid was a "city-controlled issue" and that the police and the mayor's office did not inform her about it.
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But Frías believes it is time for radical change in the neighborhood and a Republican approach to the matter. He has been endorsed by Sliwa.
"I have lived here my whole life, I've seen the changes go from good, too bad to worse, and it's at that peak of worse right now, and I don’t want it to go past that," says Frías, adding he is very much pro-immigrant.
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His father is from the Dominican Republic, while his mother emigrated from Haiti and was an attorney who helped people in the neighborhood for years obtain their citizenship.
"I love the hustle of the immigrants in this neighborhood, but people cannot just do as they please, and the area has effectively deteriorated into an open flea market," Frías says. "You literally step in either direction, and you're in a different country. Different types of food, different types of culture. It makes me open to everybody's ideals on things, because at the end of the day, everybody just wants a safe place to live."
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