Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) blasted the White House about worsening border conditions on Friday, during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”
Van Orden accused President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of prioritizing undocumented immigrants over American citizens.
To illustrate his point, Van Orden spoke about a brutal crime committed by 26-year-old Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.
Zarate, a suspected member of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua based on his tattoos, allegedly violently raped and assaulted a mother and her child in his hometown Prairie du Chien.
He was charged with domestic disorderly conduct, two counts of domestic battery, strangulation/suffocation, physical abuse to a child, disorderly conduct and two counts of second-degree sexual assault for the shocking crime.
According to Van Orden, Zarate crossed the border with “gang tattoos” that marked his affiliation to Tren de Aragua, because the gang has been “led into the country by border czar Harris.”
From there, he went to Minneapolis, where he was arrested for a property crime, then committed a “series of violent crimes” in Madison, Wisconsin.
“He was released from both of these places because they’re sanctuary cities,” the Wisconsin Republican explained.
At the time of his arrest, Zarate has a warrant against him in Dane County for strangulation/suffocation, false imprisonment, battery and disorderly conduct.
Van Orden believes that the migrant criminal “shouldn’t have been allowed in the country to begin with.”
“If he even got past that, he should have been arrested and deported in Minneapolis,” he noted. “If that didn’t happen, he should have been arrested and deported in Madison, Wisconsin.”
“But that didn’t happen because they’re all falling into the left-wing policies of putting these criminal illegal aliens above American citizens, and it’s just got to stop.”
It’s a sentiment he shared during a Monday press conference about the crime.
“Why is the Biden administration allowing known members of violent criminal gangs from foreign nations into the country and essentially paroling them to allow them to wander around the nation at their leisure?” he questioned. “So that is unforgivable.”
Van Orden pointed out that he’s not against legal immigration, just illegal border crossings.
“I don’t care what your political affiliation is,” he commented. “This is not a Democrat issue. It’s not a Republican issue. It’s not an independent or libertarian issue. This is a human rights issue.”
“So American citizens’ human rights are being violated,” the lawmaker noted. “They’re being kidnapped, raped and murdered by criminal, illegal aliens, and it’s just got to stop.”
The House Committee on Agriculture member said that “there’s a difference between immigration, immigrant labor, illegal immigration.”
He noted that Wisconsin want’s “as many people as possible to come into the country lawfully to support our industries,” which is why he supports the H-2A visa program which grants migrant workers to work in the state’s farming industry.
“I’m 100% behind making sure that we get as many people into the country lawfully to help support our industries,” Van Orden clarified.
“I’m absolutely, adamantly opposed to letting a single known criminal enter this country, because this is what happens.”
