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New York City's migrant crisis continued to wreak havoc as a youth soccer game had to be canceled after the parents and kids didn't feel safe when a group migrants refused to leave.
The crisis reared its ugly head at the Manhattan Kickers last week, as a game for their under-17 team that had been scheduled with permit at Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem against FA New York.
The game had been scheduled for 5pm on April 14 but was delayed by 30 minutes as even police couldn't get the migrants to leave.
The migrants appeared to be largely from Africa, according to the New York Post.
I directly asked them to leave and some of them kind of took it into consideration, but then four or five of them said, 'You know what, f**k it, we don't have to leave, we can do whatever we want,'' said coach Erik Johansson.
A majority of attendees were from Haiti, Guinea, and West Africa, and came to the protest to seek more aid, better shelters and work permits, according to reports.
Police asked to see the youth teams' permit to use the field at the park.
When you show up with two teams in uniform, a ref and two coaches, usually nobody is asking to see your permit,' said Johansson.
Once Johansson was finally able to forward the NYPD a copy of the permit, the kids and parents no longer felt safe enough to use the park.
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,' Johansson added.
He says that the parents and teams have agreed that they don't want to use the park again.
It's so frustrating that the guys who refused to follow the rules won. That's the message the kids got.'' said team mother Maud Maron, who called it an example of New York City's increasing lawlessness.
Johansson, a Swedish national, said the crisis reminds him of how bad things have gotten in his home country.
Youth soccer game is canceled after horde of migrants refuse to leave field in NYC - even when COPS turn up - as parents reveal how their children are now too afraid to play | Daily Mail Online
NYC high school soccer game canceled after group of about 30 migrants refuse to leave the field -- even after cops showed up
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