America Is Too Lenient on Gang Violence

“Much to my dismay, conservative media journalists have conflated political stances against illegal immigration with criminal gang activity.”

Criminal street gangs in America remain a formidable public adversary; their criminal activities include narcotics and human trafficking, violent street crime, and the exploitation and re-victimization of vulnerable populations, including immigrants. Much to my dismay, conservative media journalists have conflated political stances against illegal immigration with criminal gang activity. This does not help at all.

In a recent opinion piece at Conservative Review senior editor Daniel Horowitz recounts the story of a Minnesota woman who was allegedly shot in her chest after first being held captive by two alleged Sureños 13 gang members. Horowitz blames “Minnesota nice” culture, left-leaning media, and Democrats for having enabled the circumstances that led to this tragedy. Apparently to Horowitz, the welcoming of diverse people is now too disruptive to Minnesota’s reputation as “quiet and peaceful.” It would be more helpful, however, for Horowitz’s readers if he suggested a better solution: prosecuting gang crime with a new federal law rather than taking partisan immigration stances. What we really need is comprehensive federal legislation to enable all federal law enforcement agencies and all United States Attorneys to prosecute criminal street gangs.

While Horowitz should be applauded for raising awareness about the problem of gangs on the national front, his central thesis improperly locks in on immigration and conflates a public safety concern with a partisan political agenda. President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Vanita Gupta conveys that his foundation is “deeply disappointed” at this type of response to the gang issue. Republican Congressman Doug Collins and Democratic House Member John Conyers (prior to the latter’s resignation) had both publicly commented on the need to address the gang crisis through more comprehensive legislation. It’s not just about immigration.