Bronx Rep. Richie Torres (D-N.Y.), who is considering a run for governor, on Tuesday distanced himself from his past left-wing positions and told the Post that the border crisis has changed his views on immigration policy. spoke.
Torres said in the Jim Owls Liberal LGBT Democratic Club's 2022 support poll that he supports mass amnesty for undocumented immigrants, and a year earlier said he supported mass amnesty for undocumented immigrants. had criticized the program to promote cooperation.
But Torres said in an interview Tuesday that he has since reversed course and called himself “pro-immigration, pro-border security.”
“If the federal government wants to eliminate violent criminals, the states should also cooperate,” Torres said.
But he said it would be “inhumane” to deport illegal immigrants who have been here for years. And he said he supports the city's Health+Hospitals program, which provides medical care to undocumented and undocumented immigrants.
In a support poll, Torres was asked, “What proposals would you advocate to protect immigrants and further promote New York as a sanctuary city?”
“I support: A) Granting U.S. citizenship to all illegal immigrants. B) Health care to all illegal immigrants,” his answer states.
And in a March 2021 press release, Torres issued a letter advising: Cancellation of funds It alleges that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 287(g) program “erodes confidence in law enforcement within immigrant communities.”
in support survey On his Jim Owls Group website, Torres also supported decriminalizing prostitution and supporting government-supervised “safe consumption” sites where addicts could smoke heroin.
He also answered “yes” when asked whether he would “refuse money from the police or correctional union.”
Torres argued Tuesday that his answers were “mischaracterized” and that his campaign staff, not him, filled out the questionnaire.
Still, he said, “I take full responsibility.”
“It doesn't reflect the views I held then and certainly doesn't reflect the views I hold now,” he said.
Torres said he does not accept campaign contributions from police unions, disputes his survey responses, and welcomes their support.
He pointed to comments he made in 2022, reported by the Post, in which he said defunding the police movement is “dead” and “a benign banishment” in New York City.
The lawmaker, who has publicly criticized Gov. Kathy Hochul as incompetent, said she also opposes establishing safe consumption sites for addicts.
Earlier this year, he called on city officials to take immediate action against the incident. outdoor drug market Located on East 149th Street in the South Bronx.
A campaign spokesman for Hochul, who could face Torres in the 2026 Democratic primary, accused Torres of being a “hypocrite.”
“Unfortunately for voters, Ritchie Torres has proven to be a pandering hypocrite who disagrees with New Yorkers on important issues like immigration and public safety,” said Hochul Representative Jen Goodman. said.
“Today, as Governor Hochul announced drastic action to crack down on retail theft and protect communities, he spent another day on the grandstand. Good luck in your efforts to sell.”
Jim Owls Club President Allen Rothkopf said Torres' responses to the 2022 survey speak for themselves.
“We send out a questionnaire to candidates, it's sent back to us, we put it on our website, and that's the end of the story,” Rothkopf said.
Torres criticized Roskopf as “the ultimate hypocrite.”
“He is pressuring elected officials to withhold real estate donations while he personally lives in luxury homes developed by the city's largest real estate developers,” Torres said.
“He advocates for defunding the police at the expense of communities of color while enjoying the private safety of his luxury home.” I'm tired of the far-left luxury cultists and their ivory tower bullshit.
Rothkopf said Torres “sounded hysterical.”
