This past weekend, a pair of New York City police officers suffered a beatdown at the hands of a mob of illegal migrants. Four of the migrants were later arrested, but in typical Gotham fashion, they were all released without bail a short time later. Video of the beating went viral and now the public is up in arms. Republican lawmakers are calling for the deportation of the thugs, all four of whom have been identified by name. Shockingly, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul didn’t dismiss the idea out of hand. She went so far as to say that it’s an idea that “should be looked at.”

Republican pols are lining up to demand that the rowdy migrants nabbed in a caught-on-camera attack on two NYPD cops in Times Square get deported — as Gov. Kathy Hochul said it’s something that should certainly be “looked at.”

The Democratic governor, speaking to reporters after announcing the nomination of Steven G. James as New York State Police Superintendent on Wednesday, was asked about the shocking beatdown and whether the asylum-seeking suspects should be deported.

“I think that’s actually something that should be looked at,” Hochul replied.

“I mean, if someone commits a crime against a police officer in the state of New York and they’re not here legally, it’s definitely worth checking into,” she said.

“Looked at?” Why is there even a question about this? They’re not even supposed to be here in the first place. Hochul might not have said this a few months ago, but she’s under an increasing amount of pressure. Notice how she even pointed out that the migrants are “not here legally.” That’s as  close as I’ve heard her come to using the phrase “illegal migrants.”

This situation goes beyond all of the problems being caused by Joe Biden’s disastrous border policies. What those migrants were up to is simply unacceptable and they are hardly the only ones acting out in that fashion. These are people who were improperly allowed into our country illegally and then allowed to travel wherever they wished, in this case to New York City. They were given free food and lodging at the expense of the taxpayers. And then they turn around and feel entitled to just start beating down our law enforcement officers? Of course they should be removed.

If you are not a citizen, whether you came here legally or illegally, you are a guest. We expect better behavior from guests and there are rules in place when their behavior gets too far out of line. This is reminiscent of the recent pro-Hamas protests flooding the streets, carried out in many cases mostly by college students. Many of those students are here on visas. One of the conditions of having a visa is that you are not allowed to support terrorist groups like Hamas. We initially heard some talk of rounding up those protesters, canceling their visas, and deporting them. Why hasn’t that happened?

Hochul isn’t up for reelection until 2026, so she doesn’t have as much to worry about as some other politicians from all of this migrant madness. But she also has to be keenly aware of how close she came to losing her grip on power when Republican Lee Zeldin came within six points of besting her. It was the closest Democratic victory in the state since the 80s. This is not a time to be seen as soft on crime, particularly when the criminals are illegal migrants and the city is being overrun by them.

Start the deportations in New York with the four hoodlums in question. But don’t stop the conversation there. Hochul could win herself a lot of points by requesting federal immigration enforcement assistance. Start vetting many of the tens of thousands of migrants currently squatting in Gotham and start shipping out at least the ones with prior convictions or gang connections. It wouldn’t solve the entire problem, but it would be a start. And it would send a solid message to other blue state governors and mayors.