Beating, Throwing, Swinging... 12 Refugees Engage in Group Brawl in the Heart of New York

Over 190,000 Refugees Entered New York Since 2022
Public Sentiment Turns Cold Amid Rising Refugee-Related Crimes

In New York, USA, which is struggling with the influx of refugees, a video showing immigrants who applied for refugee status engaging in a brawl in front of a hotel provided as a shelter has been uploaded to social networking services (SNS), sparking controversy. On the 22nd (local time), the New York Post reported that a video showing a group fight involving 12 refugees was posted on SNS platforms such as X. The fight was filmed on the 21st, before the video was uploaded.

[Photo by X (formerly Twitter)]

In the video, men gather in a crowd and join the fight, swinging belts and sticks. The fight spills onto the street, making it difficult for vehicles to pass. One man even taps the bumper of a stopped vehicle with a stick because of the commotion. The footage also shows one man being beaten by the group, and another using a traffic cone placed in front of the hotel as a weapon. No bystanders passing nearby intervene to stop them.

The incident took place in front of The Row Hotel on 8th Avenue in Manhattan. The Row Hotel is one of dozens of hotels and shelters converted to accommodate asylum seekers entering from the Mexico-US border. It has 1,300 rooms, and New York City signed a contract in October 2022, paying $40 million (approximately 55.032 billion KRW).

The video has sparked controversy among netizens, surpassing 150,000 views within three days of being posted. Local netizens criticized the Biden administration with comments such as "Welcome to Biden's America," "A shameful humanity is unfolding before our eyes," and "Accepting immigrants does not raise the nation's dignity."

The Texas National Guard has been monitoring migrants after they crossed the beach barrier installed on the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, in mid-March.
[Photo by AP·Yonhap News]

Currently, New York is facing various social problems due to the surge in immigrants. The city estimates that it will cost $12 billion (approximately 15.4 trillion KRW) over the next three years to manage the incoming migrants, highlighting serious financial issues.

Since spring 2022, more than 190,000 refugees have arrived in New York, and it is estimated that over 64,000 currently reside in city shelters such as The Row Hotel. As some of these refugees have been involved in various crimes, public sentiment toward them has grown cold. In response to the increasing refugee-related problems, New York Mayor Eric Adams imposed a curfew last month on immigrant housing sites.