During a heated exchange on ABC’s This Week, Republican Senator J.D. Vance was visibly taken aback when co-host Martha Raddatz interrupted him as he discussed the alarming rise of Venezuelan gang activity in Colorado.
The conversation centered around the Tren de Aragua gang, a notorious criminal organization from Venezuela, which recently made headlines in the U.S. for its involvement in a series of violent incidents in Aurora, Colorado. Vance, defending former President Donald Trump’s assertion that Aurora had been “invaded and conquered” by migrants, found himself in a back-and-forth with Raddatz over the scale of the problem.
Vance began his remarks by acknowledging that even the Aurora mayor had conceded some truth to the claims of criminal activity. He pointed out that Trump had spoken with people directly affected by the violence in Aurora, stating, “People are terrified by what has happened with some of these Venezuelan gangs.”
It was at this moment that Raddatz stepped in, attempting to downplay the severity of the situation. She clarified that the gang-related issues had been confined to “a handful of apartment complexes” and that local police had been actively addressing the concerns.
The senator’s frustration was palpable. He pushed back strongly, exclaiming, “Only a handful of apartment complexes were taken over by Venezuelan gangs, and Donald Trump is the problem, not Kamala Harris’ open border?” Vance expressed bewilderment at how the media seemed more concerned with scrutinizing Trump’s rhetoric than confronting the reality of violent gang activity in American communities.
He highlighted that these incidents, while limited to certain locations, represent a larger issue rooted in the ongoing border crisis.
Vance argued that the current administration’s border policies have allowed an influx of unvetted migrants, creating vulnerabilities that criminal organizations like the Tren de Aragua are exploiting. “We’ve got to get American communities in a safe space again,” he said, emphasizing that the rise in violence was a predictable consequence of dismantling the border security measures implemented under the Trump administration.
The Tren de Aragua, originally a prison gang from Venezuela, has grown into one of the country’s most dangerous criminal networks. In Aurora, local law enforcement confirmed that ten members of the gang had been arrested, charged with crimes including felony menacing, assault, and numerous shootings.
These developments prompted property management companies to close three apartment complexes, which were reportedly “taken over” by the gang. Despite this, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman downplayed the situation, calling the claims “grossly exaggerated,” a sentiment Raddatz echoed in her exchange with Vance.
For Vance, this dismissal of the issue reflects a broader unwillingness to address the harsh realities of uncontrolled migration and its impact on local communities. He accused the media and political opponents of being more focused on attacking Trump than on acknowledging the dangers posed by violent gangs infiltrating American neighborhoods.
As he concluded, Vance reinforced that real change won’t happen until leaders are willing to confront the consequences of current policies, and, in his view, Donald Trump remains one of the few calling out the situation for what it truly is.