High school soccer players did not get to play a game on Sunday because a group of migrants allegedly took over the field in the East Harlem area of New York City.
Erik Johansson coaches for the Manhattan Kickers 17-year-old boys travel team and said when his players showed up at Thomas Jefferson Park, he asked the migrants to leave, the New York Post reported Saturday.
Johansson said a few of the migrants thought about his request. However, “four or five of them said, ‘You know what, f–k it, we don’t have to leave, we can do whatever we want,’” he explained:
NYC high school soccer game canceled after group of about 30 migrants refuse to leave the field — even after cops showed up https://t.co/FG3SZBeFBX pic.twitter.com/vaIRqxygSm
— New York Post (@nypost) April 20, 2024
The news comes as illegal immigrants in New York City are making unrealistic demands, Councilwoman Vickie Paladino said during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily, the outlet reported Friday.
She had just spoken about a committee hearing in which illegal immigrants complained about how the city was accommodating them:
Paladino discussed her viral moment at the joint committee hearing, where members listened to the testimonies of hundreds of illegal African migrants in the city. She was shocked by how it went down.
“I never heard a bunch of whining, crying. These are people making demands on New York in the most unrealistic manner. We have jumped off a cliff here. When we listen to people demand, demand — that we are racist. … They hate us. Why did you bother coming here?” she asked, noting that they claimed that they were racist because they were offered tampons and “Africans do not use tampons, how dare you!”
According to the Post article, about 40 young men from two teams showed up for the game, but 30 men who appeared to be African migrants refused to leave the area. As a result, someone called for police, and when officers arrived, they asked to see the club team’s city permit.
Johansson’s assistant eventually forwarded a copy, but the game had already been delayed for half an hour. In addition, the teams were on edge about the situation.
“Even when the game is over, you don’t know if they’re waiting for you, so even if the cops kicked them out, it may not be over. So we just all agreed, this is too dangerous,” explained Johansson, who is originally from Sweden, where migrants flooding the country had often clashed on the field.
Now, the team does not plan to return to that park.
“The East Harlem field is packed with teams competing with adults for weekend time on the turf, parkgoers said. Randall’s Island, which sits on the other side of the Harlem River, was converted into shelter space for 2,000 migrants last year at the expense of the popular youth soccer fields,” the Post article said.
A video recorded in February shows people in New York City sharing their thoughts about the migrant influx:
In January, parents and students at Brooklyn’s James Madison High School were not allowed to attend class, and students were forced into online learning after Mayor Eric Adams (D) sent thousands of illegal immigrants to shelter inside the school’s gym, Breitbart News reported.
RELATED — Adams After Schools Had to Close to Shelter Migrants: ‘We’ve Done a Great Job’; Don’t Blame Sanctuary Status
“The school is now canceling its dances, concerts, special events, and sports programs because of the mayor’s edict,” the outlet said.
