‘Lawless:’ Border crisis leading to rise in gang violence, endangering police

With federal data showing illegal immigration numbers and assaults on law enforcement are reaching historic highs, the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology heard testimony Tuesday regarding the dangers posed by current border policies to police officers and the communities they serve.

The hearing featured three witnesses with on-the-ground experience in law enforcement, all of whom highlighted the dangerous results of the border crisis, particularly the rise of the notorious Venezuelan-based gang, Tren de Aragua, in communities across the U.S.

Executive Director and CEO of the National Sheriffs’ Association Jonathan F. Thompson called for an end to sanctuary cities, saying the gang is a “severe public safety threat” whose rise is a “direct consequence of the failed border policies” of the Biden administration.

“And now we’re looking at the targeting of law enforcement across the country–it’s not just in New York City, it is in nearly every location where TdA [Tren de Aragua] exists,” Thompson said, pointing out that TdA is active in at least 17 states. “They are dangerous. They are everywhere.”

In late October, federal officials confirmed the presence of TdA members in the northwest part of Missouri, but federal authorities advised local law enforcement officers to release them into the community.

Soon after, three TdA members were charged with the capital murder of another TdA gang member in Texas.

Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner of New York’s Nassau County Police Department, said the scale of violent crimes committed within the past four years tops anything he’s seen throughout his service. 

“Throughout my tenure I’ve witnessed the crack wars of the 80s, cocaine usage in the 90s, the more recent devastating effects of heroin and fentanyl,” Ryder said. “Nevertheless, these times pale in comparison to the lawless society we are witnessing today.”

With virtually no threat of deportation for migrants released into the country awaiting trial dates, Ryder claimed, criminals are emboldened to act with impunity.

“There’s nothing stopping these undocumented persons from entering our communities, committing crimes, joining gangs or preying on the Nassau County residents,” Ryder said, adding that New York’s status as a sanctuary city has had a “ripple effect” on Nassau County as migrants, including migrant criminals, relocate to outside the city.

Ryder reported the uptick in unregistered vehicles, gang violence, fentanyl distribution, and other crimes committed by undocumented migrants in Nassau County since 2020, including the rape of a five-year-old girl. 

He also referenced statistics showing that since Oct. 2022, a total of 43 undocumented migrants illegally residing in Nassau County have been arrested and charged with 93 counts of burglary, stealing over 30 to 50 million dollars’ worth of residents’ assets. 

The situation has even prompted New York Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, to recently voice support for deportations of migrants who have been accused of committing crimes, an apparent shift in his position that deportations should be conducted only after a criminal suspect is convicted.

Sheriff Michael L. Chapman, who has served in law enforcement for 46 years and represented the Major County Sheriffs of America at the hearing, emphasized that the scope of the problem “cannot be overstated,” citing increases in human trafficking, fentanyl poisonings, robberies, murders, and deadly threats to law enforcement in communities with TdA members.

In August 2024, the American Sheriff Alliance released a warning to their members that TdA leaders had issued a “green light” to its members to attack and fire upon any law enforcement officers encountered in the U.S.

Chapman called for an “all hands on deck” approach to solving the crisis, urging federal agencies and Congress to help support and fund law enforcement operations.

All three witnesses recommended increasing border security, making the migrant vetting process stricter, ending the Biden administration’s catch-and-release policy, and ensuring more funding from Congress is allocated to law enforcement as viable ways to combat migrant crime and attacks on law enforcement. 

But Director of Immigration Studies at the CATO Institute David J. Bier, who also gave testimony, disagreed with the assertions that the surge of undocumented migrants entering and residing in the U.S. have contributed to rises in crime. He warned that the process of enforcing mass deportations could harm public safety, and that providing easier pathways to legal immigration would better solve the problem.

“Rather than mass deportation, what we need is legal immigration, [to] create legal ways for peaceful people to apply, get vetted, and live here legally,” Bier argued. “Then cops can be cops and focus on threats to public safety. That’s something we all can agree on.”