New York, NY—Yesterday, an employee of the Queens District Attorney’s office was arrested for allegedly threatening to detonate a homemade bomb at an asylum seeker shelter in Elmhurst, Queens. The employee – Derek Klever, who has been fired from his position – allegedly said, “I wish I had a big enough one to blow them back to Venezuela.”
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Every New Yorker, regardless of when they arrived here, deserves to live a life free of violence and threats to their safety. We are disgusted to hear about the alleged plans of an employee of the Queens District Attorney's office to detonate a bomb at a shelter for asylum seekers, and the xenophobic comments he allegedly made about his neighbors. This deplorable situation should serve as a lesson to Mayor Adams and all public officials that anti-immigrant rhetoric can incite anti-immigrant violence – violence that threatens the safety of all New Yorkers. Our leaders must do better, and stop scapegoating asylum seekers for any perceived problem in New York City.”