Vice President Kamala Harris quickly called for action on gun violence after Wednesday's school shooting in Georgia left four people dead and several others injured, but critics have accused her of remaining silent on the shocking case of a gang of armed Venezuelan migrants taking over an apartment building.
“It's significant that gun violence is only mentioned when it fits into a particular narrative,” Beverly Hills School Board candidate and gun store owner Russell Stewart told Fox News Digital. “Vice President Harris is quick to politicize the actions of a mentally ill 14-year-old boy, but remains silent about the very real and dangerous violence perpetrated by illegal immigrant gangs in America's cities.”
“Law-abiding citizens deserve safety and security. Their protection should not be set aside due to political gamesmanship and maneuvering,” he added.
Aurora Police Respond to Allegations of Venezuelan Gang in Apartment Complex: “We're Not Occupying It”
Critics are accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of remaining silent about the shocking takeover of an apartment building by a gang of armed Venezuelan migrants. (Reuters/Elisabeth Franz/Fox News)
Harris lamented the incident on Thursday's X, saying she and her husband are “mourning the loss of those whose lives were taken in the shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia.”
“Our hearts are with the students, teachers and families affected by this shooting and we thank the first responders and law enforcement on the scene. This was a senseless tragedy and it does not have to be this way. We must end the epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all,” Governor Harris wrote.
The school shooting in the battleground state of Georgia has once again thrust the Second Amendment into the spotlight in the fierce election race and further exacerbated the differences in policy stances between Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Police say members of the Tren de Aragua gang have been arrested in Aurora, Colorado, in connection with an apartment takeover.
A screenshot from a video shows the firearm allegedly used in the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Alexandra Romero/Joel Romero via Storyful)
Familiar reactions following a school shooting spread across social media platforms, with people once again calling for stricter gun control and gun rights activists blaming the incident on a teen mental health epidemic.
“We need to get to the bottom of what causes school shootings,” former Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and congressional candidate John Fabbricatore said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “It's not the guns that cause school shootings. It's why kids think it's OK to go out and kill other people?”
“Why do these kids feel like finding something to kill someone else with is the right thing to do? That's the main issue, that's the issue we need to pay attention to,” he said.
He added that Harris is unlikely to mention the Venezuelan migrant gang takeover of an apartment building because “she contributed to this” during her four years in office, and she would also avoid drawing attention to border security measures that critics call weak.
'This is a national problem': Sanctuary city policies push violent immigrant gangs to the suburbs
Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang took over an apartment in Aurora, Colorado, and demanded rent in exchange for “protection.” (Edward Romero)
Cuban-born Republican Florida Rep. Carlos Jimenez told Fox News Digital that immigrant gangs are “taking over communities.” [Harris] She turns a blind eye to the consequences of her disastrous policies.”
Additionally, Daniel Di Martino, a Venezuelan-born researcher at the Manhattan Institute, told Fox News Digital that control by immigrant gangs is exacerbated by local sanctuary state laws.
“By the way, this is going to be a very difficult foreign policy issue for Trump and for Biden and Harris, no matter who wins,” Di Martino said. “What most people don't know is that right now you can't deport Venezuelans back to Venezuela.”
The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro decided in February not to cooperate with the deportation requests.
A violent international crime syndicate from Venezuela is said to have first “seized” the apartment complex. Aurora, Colorado According to local reports, the incident occurred late last year.
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Tren de Aragua gang members took over the Whispering Pines Apartments in 2023 and engaged in violent assaults, death threats, extortion, child prostitution and heavy-handed tactics, Denver law firm Perkins Coy said in a nine-page report to city leaders. CBS News Colorado.
“The evidence we have reviewed indicates that gang members have engaged in trespass, assault, human trafficking, sexual abuse of minors, illegal firearms possession, extortion, and other criminal activity, often targeting vulnerable Venezuelan and other migrant populations,” former U.S. Attorney T. Marcus Funk wrote in the letter.
The Harris campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Steven Sorellese contributed to this report.
