DiPietro Blasts Hochul for Shielding Criminals and Ignoring Victims

Hochul’s failed leadership exposed in today’s testimony.

Assemblyman David DiPietro (R,C-East Aurora) expressed his dismay over Gov. Kathy

Hochul’s performance following her testimony before the House Committee on Oversight in

Washington, D.C., where she appeared utterly oblivious to a string of heinous crimes committed by illegal immigrants in New York, which were directly enabled by her reckless sanctuary state policies.

Hochul repeatedly claimed ignorance regarding high-profile cases, including the

abduction and rape of a 15-year-old girl in Albany by Shakir Akkan, the horrific subway attack where Sebastian Zapeta-Calil set a woman on fire, the rape of a 5-year-old girl in Nassau County by Wilson Castillo Diaz and the violent machete assault by Jesus Romero-Hernandez, a seven-time deportee. This reveals a governor detached from the suffering of her constituents and complicit in shielding criminals.

“Today, I watched in disbelief as Gov. Hochul sat before Congress, feigning ignorance

about the brutal crimes tearing apart families, all while doubling down on her dangerous

sanctuary state executive order,” said DiPietro.

“Her refusal to stand by the victims of these atrocities, children raped, a woman burned

alive, a resident attacked with a machete and so forth, shows a callous disregard for the safety of New Yorkers. Her policies are failing. She is actively aiding criminals and driving residents out of our state in the process. She is ruining New York. Hochul’s leadership is a betrayal of every law-abiding citizen, and her denial today proves she prioritizes far-left ideology over the lives of those she swore to protect,” DiPietro continued.

Hochul’s day-one executive order, which she signed three times, bars local law

enforcement from cooperating with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),

directly undermining public safety. In the case of Jesus Romero-Hernandez, the Tompkins

County Sheriff’s Office, adhering to Hochul’s directive, released a violent offender just an hour before ICE could take custody despite an order for removal from court. This reckless disregard for federal authority mirrors Hochul’s criticism of “renegade counties” that dare to prioritize safety over her failed policies.

New York’s $4 billion expenditure on immigration, coupled with its status as one of the highest-taxed states in the country, has fueled a population exodus with residents fleeing a state where criminals are protected and victims are ignored.

DiPietro calls for the immediate repeal of Hochul’s sanctuary state executive order and

demands accountability for the governor’s failure to protect New Yorkers. “Her culture war

nonsense and refusal to confront the consequences of her policies are driving New York into the ground. Have some empathy, Kathy,” DiPietro concluded.

Assemblyman David DiPietro represents the 147th Assembly District, which includes parts of Erie and Wyoming counties.