New York officials have launched a sweeping new Homeland Security Task Force aimed at tackling transnational criminal organizations operating in and around the city. Federal, state and local agencies are joining forces under a single structure, following President Trump’s October directive to create nationwide task forces. Officials say the mission will focus on gangs, cartels, foreign crime syndicates, fentanyl networks and complex international threats.
HSI’s Ricky Patel called the launch a “historic day,” while U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton emphasized New Yorkers’ demand for safer streets and tougher federal penalties. FBI leadership highlighted the rising complexity of foreign-linked criminal activity and the need for integrated intelligence and operations.
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00:00Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Ricky Patel. I'm the Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations, HSI, here in New York.
00:14It is an honor to come together to announce what can only be described as a historic day for law enforcement collaboration in New York City.
00:21As announced by the President on October 23, 2025, establishing Homeland Security Task Forces, or HSTFs, around the country, today you will hear from my colleagues and I about the formation of the HSTF here in New York,
00:37which is co-led by HSI and the FBI with significant collaboration and coordination by the U.S. Attorney's Offices in the Eastern District and Southern District of New York,
00:48as well as nearly all law enforcement agencies here in the Empire State.
00:54This task force is the first of its kind. Using a whole-of-government approach, through a unified framework, the HSTFs serve as a model for protecting the homeland from evolving threats presented by transnational organized crime.
01:09The mission of the HSTF is to identify and target for prosecution transnational criminal organizations engaged in diverse criminal schemes involving a myriad of federal violations, both within the United States and throughout the world.
01:39Today's announcement of our whole-of-government commitment to Homeland Security is, at its core, about public safety for all New Yorkers.
01:59New Yorkers want public safety. They want our parks, schools, subways, and streets to be both safe places and places that feel safe for our families, our children, and our visitors.
02:15This new team was created as a deliberate response to the growing threat posed by transnational criminal enterprises and foreign terrorist organizations.
02:32And quite frankly, it's initiatives like this and this task force that have contributed to the drastic decrease in violent crime, not only here in New York City, but across the country.
02:45FBI New York has a long history disrupting gangs and other sophisticated criminal groups, specifically cartels.
02:55The threat we face today is more complex, more violent, and more interconnected than ever.
03:04Utilizing our proven Joint Terrorism Task Force model, which, as you know, is one of the most accomplished and renowned task force models in history,
03:15we are bringing the full force of the federal, state, and local government to bear against the threat by combining operational and intelligence capabilities.
03:28When you can take people off the streets for 20 and 30 years, that charge, I'll also note the death-resulting statutes that we have,
03:41where if you're dealing fentanyl and it results in someone's death, that we have, I would say, appropriately severe criminal penalties in terms of incarceration.
03:53Yes, it gets those people off the streets, but it does something else.
03:56It forces cooperation.
03:59When someone's facing that kind of time, they're more willing to cooperate with us and extend our investigations.
04:05When someone doesn't face serious criminal time, their incentive to cooperate is very low,
04:12and it's something that's very important that we bring these charges federally.
04:15We are bringing federal gun charges at about twice the rate that we have previously.
04:26And that's in cooperation, to answer your first question, that's in cooperation with not only our federal law enforcement partners,
04:32but the New York Police Department.
04:34And the New York Police Department is, let me just be clear, they're essential to our success in this endeavor.
04:38And we're here with them every day.
04:41You can't really operate in the city without...
04:43No, they are the best police force in the world.
04:48How many times does that charge have been issued in the country?
04:53I think the people of New York want gun-toting criminals, people who shoot people off the streets.
05:01And there are many instances where our federal tools accomplish that, not only at the time of charging with detention, but also in sentencing.
05:10Like, one of the biggest...
05:12Chauncey, I'm looking at you.
05:13One of the biggest drivers of safety is getting detention when we pick somebody up.
05:19And if they commit a violent crime with a gun in New York, they should be detained.
05:28HSTFs are set up to, like we all spoke about, target the transnational criminal organizations, right?
05:34And we're looking at the criminal violations that they exist with.
05:37Now, if there is immigration-related violations that we come across while we're doing these investigations, of course.
05:43It is a federal violation. It is a federal crime.
05:45We will take action when needed.
05:48But these task forces are strictly stated and created to target the worst of the worst.
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