NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: Mamdani and Lander Endorse Each Other in NYC’s Mayor’s Race, Authorities Arrest Owners of Collapsed Dominican Republic Nightclub and the Laken Riley Law at Play in New York

Episode Date: June 13, 2025

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and Comptroller Brad Lander are teaming up in the ranked choice election. Also, the attorney general for the Dominican Republic says local power broker Antonio Espaillat and his sister were irresponsible and negligent by failing to stop the club roof from collapsing in April. And finally, an arrest in upstate New York highlights the consequences when local police cooperate with federal immigration agents.

Assembly member Mamdani and Comptroller Lander endorse each other in New York City's mayor's race. Authorities arrest the owners of the nightclub that collapsed in the Dominican Republic. And what happens when local police cooperate with federal immigration agents? From WNYC, this is NYC now. I'm Jenae Pierre. Assembly members Zoraamamomani and controller Brad Lander are cross-endorsing each other in the Democratic primary for mayor. The candidates say they're teaming up. in the ranked choice election to prevent former governor Andrew Cuomo from winning the race.

They're urging their followers to rank the other second on their ballots. In the final debate in the Democratic primary Thursday night, Mumdani and Lander pounced on Cuomo, slamming his record as governor and his resignation in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations. Cuomo says he's the best qualified candidate to stand up to President Trump and manage all levels of government. He questioned Lander's oversight as controller and said Mamdani was too inexperienced to serve as mayor. The owner of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic that collapsed earlier this year is under arrest. D.R.'s attorney general says local power broker Antonio Espiat and his sister Maribel were irresponsible and negligent by failing to stop the club roof from collapsing in April.

The collapse killed hundreds and injured dozens more, sending shockwaves through the tri-state area's Dominican diaspora. Victims included several high-profile people from the island, like Morange singer Ruby Perez. An attorney for the espayats insists the debts were involuntary homicide. Coming up after the break, we head to the upstate community of Rotterdam to understand what happens when local police cooperate with federal immigration agents. Stay tuned.

Estes listening to NYC now. Two people. accused of stealing groceries in an upstate suburb are now facing deportation. WMYC's Jimmy Vilkine reports the arrest highlights the consequences when local police cooperate with federal immigration agents. It started as a routine police call for shoplifting. 1,400 Al-Tamont Avenue of the Hannaford. We have a Hispanic couple with a stroller, loaded up with merchandise. Officers in Rotterdam, a town of about 30,000 outside Schenectady found two people in the cramped security office of a local grocery

store one morning this March. Staff said the suspects, Michael and Maria, took things like rice, beans, bread, and olive oil. They hid them under a stroller carrying Maria's child. The total value was $159. But a relatively minor charge escalated when officers checked Michael's ID. You are... In my country, he's a police officer. He provided an expired ID showing he was a police officer in Nicaragua. People are often ticketed rather than arrested when accused of shoplifting. Police only take suspects in if they can't verify their identity.

I'm kind of torn us to... The patrol officer called his supervisor. A detective called ICE. Because this guy's got the police ID and stuff, he goes, don't do anything with them until I call you back. What you just heard is one of the first known cases under the Federal Laken Riley Act in New York State. President Trump signed it into law earlier this year.

The Department of Homeland Security will be required to detain all illegal aliens who have been arrested for theft, burglary, larceny, shoplifting. assaulting a police officer, murder. But according to Lauren DeRosier, who runs the immigration clinic at Albany Law School, the statute only places requirements on federal officers who learn about arrests. It doesn't require local police departments to call ICE. I think it's a very sad case, and I think that it demonstrates how quickly things can escalate

for people who don't have immigration status. She supports state legislation called the New York for All Act. The bill would let local police help ICE with serious felony offenses or a judicial warrant, but if ICE just issued a detainer request, like with Michael and Maria, police would have to stand down. We're going to pass New York for all together. Thank you. Hundreds of people keep coming to the state capital to demonstrate in support of the legislation, which would basically make New York a sanctuary state. Here's Bronx Assembly member Amanda Septimo at a recent rally.

Help them. In fact, We have a responsibility to resist. Proponents are still pushing for some kind of action in the final days of Albany's lawmaking session, but top Democratic leaders, including Governor Kathy Hokel, haven't signed on. Hockel is trying to walk a fine line on immigration cooperation. I want to make sure we get rid of people

who are seriously committing crimes, but leave the rest alone. They already made it here. They're part of our family, and this is where it's a huge divide. The Trump administration is cracking down on sanctuary jurisdictions, and Hokel will testify before Congress later this week about New York's immigration policies. In Albany, GOP lawmakers support a bill that would require local police departments

to call ICE if they arrest an undocumented immigrant. State Senator Andrew Lanzah represents Staten Island. He says departments who don't call are essentially obstructing justice. Sanctuary state means we're not complying with federal law. He renamed his state bill after the Lake and Riley law. If an immigrant already broke the law to enter the U.S., Lanzah says any subsequent offense is worse. To me, it's even more egregious. You have somebody that not only broke into the country, but now you committed crime. For now, municipalities around New York State have a hodgepodge of rules. Rotterdam police leaders say they don't have a specific policy on dealing with non-citizens.

But in the case of Michael and Maria, they proactively call ICE. Officers took Michael back to the station without incident. They charged him with shoplifting and endangering the welfare of a child because Maria's three-year-old daughter was with the couple at the grocery store. But the arrest took a turn when officers handed Michael over to federal agents. Surveillance footage shows he slipped out of his handcuffs and tried to walk away. Six federal and local police officers used the taser to re-arrest Michael. Court records allege an ICE agent suffered a bruised jaw.

Michael is charged with assaulting of federal. federal officer. During the scuffle, he kept shouting out in Spanish that he had ID. He says, I have a social security number. Immigration papers. The officers didn't respond. Michael is currently at a jail near Albany. His federal case is pending, and his lawyer declined to comment. Maria and her daughter first came to Rotterdam in 2023. They were bused to a motel there by New York City officials after immigrating from Colombia. Maria's legal representative declined to comment, but she's now in federal custody, without her child.

I know, we're going to get mommy, I promise. Body camera footage captures the girl crying in the backseat of a police cruiser as her mother was being processed. Police turned her over to social services. That's WMYC's Jimmy Vilkine. Before we go, we want to remind everyone that early voting begins this Saturday in the primary election for New York City Mayor. So get out there and cash a ballots. And if early voting isn't your thing, then be sure to show up

in person on June 24th for primary election day. You know, Saturday is also the last day to register in person or online to vote in the primary. For more information on the election and the candidates, visit gothamis.com. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. Have a great weekend.