New York City has a huge new red light district thanks to the arrival of hordes of female Venezuelan migrants who are working as prostitutes, Mayor Eric Adams said. Roosevelt Avenue in the Corona neighborhood of Queens is filled with Venezuelan migrants offering sex services in the open-air, so-called ‘Market of Sweethearts.’
In recent weeks sex workers have been seen walking the streets during the day, with many aggressively soliciting even as children get out of school or during their lunch hour, as reported by Pix 11. Previously, the Bronx was home to the Big Apple’s highest concentration of sex workers for hire. Mayor Adams said on Tuesday the situation is just one of many ways in which the migrant crisis is affecting the city, which has received over 120,000 new asylum seekers since last spring.
When asked by reporters about the open-air sex market, Adams said the situation has been brought to his attention, and he has visited the area himself, confirming that ‘illegal’ activity is taking place publicly at all hours of the day and night. The Democrat said the city’s ‘intel’ says many of the sex workers are Venezuelan women who have recently arrived to New York. It is unclear if those women were sex workers at home and if they are selling their bodies of their own free will, or if they have been trafficked and coerced.
Prostitution is considered a Class B misdemeanor in New York, punishable by up to three months in jail and/or up to a $500 fine. Patronizing a prostitute is a Class A misdemeanor and punishable by up to one year in prison and/or up to a $1,000 fine. The mayor also slammed local officials who are working ‘against the city’ to legalize sex work because they see it as dignified labor.
Last week, about 2,500 migrants arrived in the city, but another week saw as many as 4,000 new arrivals, according to Adams. As the city is out of space, Adams repeated that his goal is for no family or child to have to sleep on the street. The mayor’s office previously said encampments at Central Park, Prospect Park and the Floyd Bennett Field are ‘on the table.’ With hotels and other locations combined, the city has opened at least 250 emergency shelters for migrants. Back in March, there were just 103, demonstrating how the crisis continues to worsen.
Source: Daily MAil (This story has been edited by The Generation staff and is published from a syndicated feed)
