A New York City store owner has been blindsided by rampant shoplifting since waves of illegal immigrants flooded the area, and it’s left him to wonder if his business will survive.
“It’s not fair that these people can come into my store and steal willy-nilly and nothing gets done about it,” Chris Sciacco, the owner of Kaiya’s Pallets, which sells clothing, food and other items in Queens, recently told The New York Post.
“It’s affecting the business and affecting our overhead,” he told the outlet about the $3,000-a-month loss hitting the store hard, adding, “I don’t know if we can continue to survive at this rate.”
According to the Post’s report, Sciacco says his business gets targeted by thieves as many as six times each week and, unless something changes, he will be left with no choice but to cancel his lease.
NYC SHOP OWNER WITH CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT FACES 7 YEARS FOR INADVERTENTLY SHOOTING WOULD-BE THIEF
A grocery store’s junk food aisle is visible in this photo. Thieves have stolen items from Sciacco’s store located in Queens, New York. (iStock)
“I am barely getting by. I don’t see how I can continue at this rate,” he said.
The Post reported that thieves stole Rogaine, a pallet of Gatorade and individual pieces of children’s underwear that were meant to be sold in bulk. To address the issue, he began selling individual pairs at $1 apiece.
Sciacco said the challenges with getting law enforcement on the scene have only complicated the problem. His dilemma comes as major U.S. cities, including The Big Apple, continue to wrestle with the massive influx of illegal immigrants under the Biden administration.
Migrants speak with NYC Homeless Outreach members as they camp out in front of the Watson Hotel after being evicted on January 30, 2023 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago)
New York City alone has seen the iconic Roosevelt Hotel – which shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic – turn into a processing center for illegal immigrants. Six illegal immigrants were arrested – then were later offered plea deals – after attacking two NYPD officers in Times Square and, in a recent incident, an illegal immigrant was arrested for raping a 13-year-old girl in broad daylight at a park in Queens.
Mayor Eric Adams, speaking on the crisis, also financially overwhelming the city, warned it has “run out of room.”
“Our hearts are endless, but our resources are not,” the NYC mayor told FOX 5 New York’s Rosanna Scotto during an interview featured in the Fox Nation special, “The Sanctuary Trap.”
“It’s not like New York is not saying we are not a city of immigrants. We are. We have a rich history of immigrants, but we can’t take the global problem and it become our problem. That is unfair to New Yorkers, and is unfair to migrants,” Adams continued.
As the temperature of the 2024 election season rises, the issue – along with the economy – have taken center stage for many voters.