Whether we're talking about local outlets or the national media, the press just can't seem to get on board with recognizing how dangerous illegal immigrant criminal gangs are, including and especially when it comes to Tren de Aragua, which has wrecked havoc in several states. Fortunately, thanks to the Trump administration and Tom Homan's role as the border czar, illegal immigration is finally being handled as it should be. Republicans are also calling out those who won't regard the situation for how it should be treated, with Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) among those calling the media out.
On Wednesday, Lee and Mayor Trent Staggs (R) of Riverton shared a screenshot of a KSL social media post, highlighting how "Despite the gang Tren de Aragua being confirmed present in Utah, officials say the footprint is 'not extensive.'" Such a headline comes despite how the actual article also quoted Gov. Spencer Cox (R) as saying that Tren de Aragua poses "a growing threat" to the state.
Staggs quipped how he was "glad it's an acceptable level of Tren de Aragua gang activity for the team at KSL News," while Lee pointed out in a quoted repost of the mayor how how no state wants its license plate to include such a phrase about "Acceptable Levels" of such activity.
In addition to the screenshot from Staggs, the original post received over 200 replies, far more than the local media outlet usually gets for their posts on X.
No state wants its license plate to say “Acceptable Levels of Tren de Aragua Gang Activity” https://t.co/K8clZrR8ph
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 12, 2025
Despite the gang Tren de Aragua being confirmed present in Utah, officials say the footprint is "not extensive." https://t.co/Jmtg31oWdm
— KSL.com - Utah Breaking News, Weather & Sports (@KSLcom) December 15, 2024
The KSL post is from last December, around the time same time that Madeline covered how the Venezuelan gang was "terrorizing" Utah, with crimes involving an alleged prostitution ring. Tren de Aragua was alleged to have been involved in an assault and shooting that took place September, as KSL also reported at the time.
As Madeline's piece mentioned:
Carlos Moreno, who is running for Salt Lake County Council in District 2, told the Post that the gang has been linked to crimes in the city. One of these crimes is an alleged prostitution ring.
“Our law enforcement people are not ready,” Moreno told The Post previously.
“They are not ready yet to face these kinds of gangs in Utah because the way that they do things are totally different than the criminals here in the United States,” the city council hopeful continued.
“That’s why people right now are very afraid. And they don’t want these kinds of people in the United States.”
But again, it's not just local media outlets. Last October, Martha Raddatz was confronted by now Vice President JD Vance for how she downplayed gang activity as a matter of "incidents [that] were limited to a handful of apartment complex," also stressing how they involved a "handful of problems" when discussing the situation in Aurora, Colorado.
Such framing of illegal gang activity came back to haunt her last December, just a couple of months after that "This Week" interview Raddatz did with Vance on ABC News, and days after KSL put out their problematic article, when gang activity was not only an issue in Utah, but worsening in Colorado.
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