Kamala’s Venezuelan Gang Crisis

• Venezuelan gangs are infiltrating major American cities, most recently in Aurora, CO

• Nicolás Maduro has intentionally emptied his prisons of violent gang members who then find passage to the US

• Kamala Harris is inheriting these problems due to her and President Biden’s lenient border policies

The story

Heavily armed members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua were recently caught on video in Aurora, CO, going door to door and forcibly evicting tenants from their apartments. Originating from Venezuela, the group is known for human trafficking and has been linked to extortion, organized retail theft, kidnapping, money laundering, contract killings, and more.

Aurora is near the sanctuary city of Denver, which has, since December 2022, taken in upwards of 40,000 migrants, many of whom hail from Venezuela. In July, members of the gang were reportedly given a “green light” to murder police officers in Denver.

In New York City, Tren de Aragua has been linked to a myriad of crimes and is actively recruiting members from the city’s migrant shelters. The FBI also suspects them of working with the equally brutal MS-13 gang in recruiting new members and orchestrating cell phone robberies.

The border crisis that exploded during the Biden-Harris administration is now seeing members of the most violent criminal organizations in the world expand their footprint in American cities, both large and small.

Harris now must contend with the consequences of an open border; though she may not face serious scrutiny from the media, former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential pick, JD Vance, have zeroed in on the border crisis and migrant crime during their campaign.

While Harris has vaguely alluded to supporting “strong border security,” Trump and Vance promise a mass deportation movement as a remedy for the unprecedented influx of illegal migrants.

The politics

Donald Trump immediately reacted to the news of Tren de Aragua spreading chaos in Aurora. He criticized the “stupid” leaders who freely let violent criminals enter the United States, and vowed to “get them the hell out of here.”

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman (R) described the violence as an “organized criminal effort,” and said, “I think we’re the victim of a failed policy at the southern border.” He also pointed out that the violence “occurred in several isolated apartment buildings owned by the same out-of-state slum lord” and that the city’s reputation should not be “adversely impacted” because of it.

Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky has been one of the strongest voices calling attention to the gang violence, even personally assisting in evacuating several residents from the gang-occupied apartment building. However, her warnings haven't resonated with everyone.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) all but dismissed the councilwoman’s concerns and even dismissed that the violence was occurring at all. Polis’ office claimed that the migrant invasion is “a feature of Danielle Jurinsky’s imagination” and asserted that city council members should “stop trashing their own city when they are supposed to keep it safe.”

Expanding their footprint

Over 330,000 Venezuelans crossed the US southern border last year, yet Venezuela, like Cuba, China, and other hostile nations, refuses to provide criminal history information to American officials, making it nearly impossible to properly vet these migrants.

House Republicans have accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of emptying his nation’s prisons, allowing violent gang members to flee north, finding a home in the United States thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s lax border policies. Now, US authorities have confirmed the active presence of Tren de Aragua in Miami, New York, Dallas, and Atlanta, in addition to Denver and Aurora, CO, and many other locations.

Tren de Aragua’s leader, who previously orchestrated criminal activities like drug and human trafficking from within a Venezuelan prison, recently escaped and is now at large. South American media is warning that the gang leader is very possibly en route to the United States.

Back in May, Louisiana law enforcement disassembled a sex trafficking network tied to Tren de Aragua, which smuggled victims into the US after coaching them on how to seek asylum at the southern border. Once inside, the gang forced the victims into prostitution.

The threat to average Americans has escalated as violent Venezuelan gangs extend their influence across the country. While the US government has focused on the rising risk of terrorism, highlighted by individuals linked to ISIS crossing the border, the mismanagement of border policies by federal authorities is costing lives and devastating communities.

Why it matters

With just two months until the presidential election, the tangible consequences of open-border policies could pose significant challenges for Kamala Harris. Harris, who in 2021 was assigned the responsibility of tackling the border crisis, has nothing to show for it. In fact, she has not visited the US-Mexico border in over three years.

With Harris and Trump set to debate next week, the former president will assuredly slam Harris on her failures to maintain control of the border. During his debate with President Biden, Trump frequently directed the conversation back to the gruesome murders committed by illegal migrants under Biden’s watch.

Although Harris is attempting to distance herself from Biden's policy record, separating herself from the border crisis may prove nearly impossible.