NYPD officers attacked in Times Square to attend State of the Union

Editor’s note: The story in the video player originally aired on Feb. 8, 2024.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two NYPD officers who were attacked by migrants during a confrontation in Times Square in January will be guests of two New York Republican lawmakers at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Thursday night.

NYPD officers Ben Kurian and Zunxu Tian will be guests of Reps. Anthony D’Esposito and Nicole Malliotakis, both New York Republicans, as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Police body-camera video showed the choatic moments leading up to the brawl in Times Square on Jan. 27.

The confrontation began with the officers ordering a group of migrants to leave a bustling Times Square block. It escalated when one of those men, slowly walking away, lobbed an insult in Spanish: “They look like Ugly Betty.” Second later, he was pushed up against a wall by an officer.

The migrant man asked why he was being stopped, attempted to get away, and was then tackled to the ground by officers. Several bystanders descended on the scrum, kicking at the officers and trying to pry them off the migrant man. Nobody was seriously hurt in the incident.

Several migrants have since been indicted in connection with the Times Square brawl.

New York City's sanctuary policies have drawn intense backlash from conservatives following some of the high-profile incidents involving migrants, including a brawl with police and a shooting in Times Square.

Malliotakis has said that migrants who commit crimes in New York City should be deported immediately and have any future immigration application denied.