JD Vance Bizarrely Says ‘Ethnic Enclaves’ Spike U.S. Crime Rates

JD Vance’s run of head-scratching comments continued Friday.

That’s when the vice presidential hopeful said during a campaign event that he believes “ethnic enclaves” often “lead to higher crime rates” in American cities.

The comment comes a day after a 2021 podcast interview Vance gave to the misogynist Jack Murphy, who infamously wrote that “feminists need rape” and degradation, was resurfaced. The topic of “ethnic enclaves” came up back then, with Vance explaining that the waves of Italian, Irish, and German immigrants led to a spike in crime in the 19th century.

Vance was asked about that interview by a reporter from The New York Times on Friday, which elicited Vance’s response that showed he still believes “ethnic enclaves” are driving up crime numbers in modern America.

“What happens when you have massive amounts of illegal immigration?” Vance said. “It actually starts to create ethnic conflict. It creates higher crime.”

The Ohio senator specified that he feels immigrants don’t assimilate into a “common American culture” like they used to, which he claimed can be dangerous. He did not specify what that culture exactly is, as America is widely regarded as one of the most diverse nations on the planet with no official language and significant regional differences.

Vance, 40, said he’d like to see more immigrants assimilate like his wife Usha, the daughter of Indian parents, did herself.

“What we want is an American immigration policy that promotes assimilation,” he explained. “That no matter where you come from, you can become an American, but only if we have an immigration policy that promotes assimilation.”

Vance continued: “I’m married to the daughter of South Asian immigrants. One of the reasons why I think that we have such a wonderful and successful marriage is because we both very much feel like America is our home—like our children belong here.”

Some skewered Vance for what they viewed as racist comments. Maya May, of the anti-MAGA Super Pac the Lincoln Project, said the comment was “very racist.”

“JD Vance thinks saying ‘ethnic enclave’ instead of ‘ghetto’ makes him sound less racist,” she posted to X. “It doesn’t. Nope. Very racist.”

While Vance suggested America’s crime is rising due to illegal immigration, multiple studies have shown that immigrants are significantly less likely to commit violent crime than American-born citizens.

Both property and violent crime has also been steadily trending down since the 1990s, according to Pew Research, debunking Vance’s suggestions that an increase in border crossings is leading to a crime spike.

Vance’s event was held in front of the Milwaukee Police Association. He praised officers for their work during last month’s RNC in the city and shared how adamant a supporter of law enforcement he was.

A campaign staffer also reportedly ordered a journalist to delete a photo of Diet Mountain Dew being brought out before the event. It’s been reported in recent months that the diet soda is Vance’s drink of choice.

Jason Calvi, a politics reporter for Milwaukee’s Fox affiliate station, said on X that he refused to delete the snap despite being threatened with removal from the event. He was ultimately allowed to stay, he posted.

“When I refused and explained that as a journalist I wasn’t going to delete a photo, and I wasn’t going to bullied, the campaign aide left the space to apparently have me kicked out,” Calvi said. “Then, a more senior campaign staffer came over and explained they wouldn’t kick me out.”