As New York City prepares to elect socialist Zohran Mamdani as its next mayor, everyday New Yorkers are finally speaking up about the devastating consequences of the city’s sanctuary policies—and their stories should serve as a warning to every American city flirting with similar disasters.
A powerful new investigative video from The American Border Story reveals what the mainstream media won’t tell you: sanctuary city policies have transformed once-safe neighborhoods into danger zones where Venezuelan gangs patrol the streets with metal pipes, sex trafficking has surged, and parents are too afraid to take their children to public playgrounds.
Even moderate Democrats are sounding the alarm. Renee Collymore, a local organizer and lifelong Democrat, didn’t mince words about her own party’s failures.
“This is the worst city council I have ever seen in my life in New York City,” Collymore declared. She explained that the predominantly progressive, leftist, socialist council has created a one-party system that refuses to listen to traditional Democrats or common-sense concerns about public safety.
According to Collymore, when moderate Democrats like herself raise legitimate concerns about gang activity and community safety, they’re immediately branded as “anti-migrant” and shut down. Meanwhile, the far-left legislators “are acting like the migrants are their children” while ignoring the terrorized residents of neighborhoods like Hall Street.
The statistics are sobering, but the human stories are what really matter. After a migrant shelter opened in Collymore’s community, the neighborhood saw a dramatic rise in sex trafficking, stabbings, and even a triple murder. Venezuelan gangs didn’t just arrive—they took over, patrolling streets and instilling fear in law-abiding residents.
Dino, a pizzeria owner and immigrant himself, explained that while sanctuary policies “could work on paper, in reality, it does not work.” He told Fox News that his employees are now scared to walk home at night, customers are staying away, and gangs are running the streets.
“We need our leaders in New York to stop protecting politics and start protecting people,” Dino said—a sentiment that should resonate with every American tired of politicians prioritizing ideology over safety.
One New Yorker identified the root cause: President Biden’s decision to allow countries like Venezuela, Colombia, and others to essentially exile their prisoners to the United States. Without proper background checks or vetting, these individuals—including gang members who committed heinous crimes in their home countries—found their way to American cities.
Local independent journalist Leeroy Johnson explained the predictable result: “Of course, local gangs are going to recruit them. Of course, the older migrant gangs that came here are going to recruit them because they know nothing’s going to happen to them.”
Johnson described a revolving door justice system where criminals are back on the streets within hours of being arrested, “hurting more people over and over again.”
The infamous Roosevelt Hotel shelter became ground zero for Tren de Aragua gang activity—a Venezuelan criminal organization now designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration. While the shelter has since been closed, the damage to the surrounding community remains.
With Mamdani holding a commanding double-digit lead ahead of the November 4th election, New York City appears poised to double down on the very policies that created this crisis. The Democratic Socialist candidate has pledged to resist Trump administration immigration enforcement, vowing to stop “masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors”—even those neighbors who are terrorizing communities.
Nicole Kiprilov, executive director of The American Border Story, summarized the situation perfectly: “What you’re seeing in New York is the direct result of failed border policies. Families are scared, neighborhoods are changing overnight, and city officials are nowhere to be found. This crisis isn’t contained at the border anymore—it’s on America’s doorstep.”
The question for voters across America is simple: Will we learn from New York’s mistakes, or will we allow the same failed policies to destroy our own communities? The choice is ours—but we’re running out of time to make it.
