QUEENS, N.Y. – The red lights have reappeared along a well-known prostitution strip in New York City, within the districts of progressive Democratic Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Grace Meng.

On the congested, unkempt sidewalks of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, sex workers are again openly approaching clients as vendors grill meats and sell what are believed to be stolen or counterfeit items, even after police have spent months trying to curb the disorder.

This has become a part of daily life and a persistent issue for the residents in this migrant-heavy neighborhood, who express fatigue from repeatedly urging Ocasio-Cortez and Meng to intervene, describing the area as a “Red Light district” or akin to a third-world marketplace. Some have dubbed the area the “Avenue of the Sweethearts,” referencing its notoriety for alleged prostitution activities. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represents part of Roosevelt Avenue, where residents have complained about crime taking over their neighborhood. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, left; Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital, right.)