Vance References 2002 Scorsese Film to Justify Mass Deportations
The Ohio senator claims that neighborhoods defined by ethnicity play a role in contributing to crime.
TroibNews 
Vice presidential candidate JD Vance continues to assert that ethnic neighborhoods contribute to crime, citing a 2002 Martin Scorsese film as a reference for his viewpoint.
During a campaign event on Friday, Vance was questioned about earlier statements where he supported mass deportations due to the type of criminal activity depicted in "Gangs of New York," a movie that focuses on 19th-century New York City.
“Has anybody seen the movie 'Gangs of New York,'" Vance stated while addressing the Milwaukee Police Association. “That is what I'm talking about, with these ethnic enclaves in our country, it can lead to higher crime rates.”
This commentary was part of Vance's effort to back former President Donald Trump's proposal for extensive deportations aimed at removing non-citizens from the United States, a key aspect of Trump's presidential campaign.
A reporter inquired whether mass deportations could effectively tackle crime, seemingly referencing Vance's earlier comments regarding “ethnic enclaves” from a 2021 interview.
“You had this massive wave of Italian, Irish, and German immigration right? And that had its problems, its consequences,” Vance remarked in that 2021 Senate campaign interview. “You had higher crime rates, you had these ethnic enclaves, you had inter-ethnic conflict.”
At the Milwaukee gathering, he reiterated this argument, referencing the film about an Irish man avenging his father's murder by a gang leader who advocates for preserving America for native-born citizens and opposing immigration.
“What happens when you have massive amounts of illegal immigration,” Vance articulated. “It actually starts to create ethnic conflict. It creates higher crime rates. We’ve certainly seen that over the last few years. And I would like to stop it.”
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
During a campaign event on Friday, Vance was questioned about earlier statements where he supported mass deportations due to the type of criminal activity depicted in "Gangs of New York," a movie that focuses on 19th-century New York City.
“Has anybody seen the movie 'Gangs of New York,'" Vance stated while addressing the Milwaukee Police Association. “That is what I'm talking about, with these ethnic enclaves in our country, it can lead to higher crime rates.”
This commentary was part of Vance's effort to back former President Donald Trump's proposal for extensive deportations aimed at removing non-citizens from the United States, a key aspect of Trump's presidential campaign.
A reporter inquired whether mass deportations could effectively tackle crime, seemingly referencing Vance's earlier comments regarding “ethnic enclaves” from a 2021 interview.
“You had this massive wave of Italian, Irish, and German immigration right? And that had its problems, its consequences,” Vance remarked in that 2021 Senate campaign interview. “You had higher crime rates, you had these ethnic enclaves, you had inter-ethnic conflict.”
At the Milwaukee gathering, he reiterated this argument, referencing the film about an Irish man avenging his father's murder by a gang leader who advocates for preserving America for native-born citizens and opposing immigration.
“What happens when you have massive amounts of illegal immigration,” Vance articulated. “It actually starts to create ethnic conflict. It creates higher crime rates. We’ve certainly seen that over the last few years. And I would like to stop it.”
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
