A wave of migrant crime sweeping suburban America could be leading to major backlash against Democrats in key electoral battlegrounds this November.
As “sanctuary cities” have been overwhelmed by the flood of more than 10 million illegal border crossings over the past four years, city governments have increasingly been pushing migrants out into neighboring suburban counties, leading to a crime spike in these once safe communities.
Aurora, Colorado, a quiet suburb outside of Denver, recently became the epicenter of this crisis as the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua set up operations there. As reported by The New York Post, the area has become a virtual “war zone,” with illegal alien criminals openly dealing drugs and taking over old apartment buildings as bases of operation. Far-left Denver, a sanctuary city, has started to ship thousands of migrants to largely outlying areas like Aurora.
Many Aurora residents have been forced to flee their homes as the gangs have openly threatened them. Police have arrested at least 10 members of Tren de Aragua, while others wanted for criminal acts remain at large.
The problem has spread even further out from Aurora to small cities like Castle Rock, which recently announced plans to sue the city of Denver for busing migrants there. In August, Douglas County, where Castle Rock is located, reported the arrest of 11 alleged car thieves, including three Venezuelan nationals and one Colombian national. Douglas County and at least six other Colorado counties have also filed lawsuits against Denver.
The neighborhoods surrounding New York City have also been some of the hardest hit, with local police struggling to stem the tide of migrant crime. In Nassau County, just a short train ride from Manhattan, police recently raided open-air brothels set up by Venezuelan gangs – just a few months after another group of migrants from South America broke into a string of homes and businesses in the county. In February, a North African migrant who crossed the border last November also beat a homeowner in Hempstead.
Add to this the immense pressure that the sudden influx of migrants has put on local government services and the housing supply, and it’s all adding up to recipe for disaster for New York Democrats. On Long Island in particular, Democrats are locked in tight battles for three U.S. House seats. As AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber wrote in a New York Post op-ed last month, Republican efforts to tie Democrat candidates to Biden-Harris open border policies could be devastating to the party’s chances of regaining control of the House – not to mention winning back local government posts that Republicans flipped in 2022.
Across the country in California, backlash is also brewing in the areas around Los Angeles – including wealthy liberal enclaves. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, burglary gangs from Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru robbed at least 94 homes on the outskirts of the city last year alone. Organized retail theft gangs from Chile have also terrorized Orange County over the course of the Biden administration.
Like Long Island, Orange County and the suburban areas around L.A. are home to important House races this year that will help decide control of the chamber. As the effects of mass illegal immigration and the associated increase in crime continue to leak into these communities, Democrats will likely face a tough electoral environment.
Oakland County, Michigan, a Detroit suburb, has also seen a spike in organized robberies by foreign gangs. In August, police arrested five illegal aliens in the midst of a home invasion in an upscale neighborhood in the county. Sheriff Michael Bouchard recently warned residents that these gangs are highly sophisticated, performing reconnaissance on houses to learn the habits of homeowners before selecting the perfect time to strike.
In addition to several hotly contested House races, Michigan also has an important U.S. Senate race this year, with Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin facing off against Republican Rep. Mike Rogers. The Rogers campaign and Republican groups have hammered Slotkin over her support for Biden-Harris open borders policies, including her support for spending bills that sent COVID-19 relief checks to illegal aliens.
These examples are just a small fraction of the threat to public safety posed by mass unchecked illegal immigration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently released new data revealing that there are at least 425,000 convicted criminals now freely roaming the U.S., including more than 13,000 convicted of homicide and 62,000 convicted of assault. An additional 16,000 have sexual assault convictions, while 56,000 have drug convictions.
Even for suburban voters who haven’t directly experienced the effects of the Biden-Harris migrant crime wave, watching this chaos unfold in communities just like theirs throughout the country could have a major influence on the outcome of the election. According to some estimates, a Kamala Harris presidency would mean that up to 20 million more illegal aliens could enter the country over the next four years – dramatically exacerbating existing problems.
That terrifying prospect alone could be enough to tip the suburbs against Democrats.
Andrew Shirley is a veteran speechwriter and AMAC Newsline columnist. His commentary can be found on X at @AA_Shirley.
