a member of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua A gang member was arrested for sexually assaulting a mother and abusing her daughter in a small Wisconsin community. He was arrested in Minneapolis earlier this year and later released.
Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden, whose grandson lives less than a mile from the Prairie du Chien home where the mother and daughter were held against their will and repeatedly tortured, told Fox News Digital that it was only a matter of time before tragedy would strike the community amid the White House. open border policies and the Sanctuary Cities Initiative.
Alejandro José Coronel Zarate, 26, attacked the woman and child “under particularly brutal circumstances”, and attacked his victims “for some time”. prairie du chien Police Chief Kyle Taynor said this during a Sept. 9 press conference following the arrest of Coronel Zarate.
Coronel Zarate was charged Wednesday in Crawford County Court with sexual assault, assault, strangulation, suffocation, false imprisonment, child abuse and disorderly conduct. WXOW reportedHe remains in the Crawford County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond.
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Venezuelan immigrant Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate was charged earlier this month by Prairie du Chien police with sexual assault, assault, strangulation, suffocation, false imprisonment, child abuse and disorderly conduct. (Crawford County Jail)
The mother later told police that Coronel Zarate also assaulted her on Sept. 4, according to a criminal complaint. During that incident, she told police, Coronel Zarate allegedly told her, “I can get away with this. I’m a criminal.”
Taynor said Coronel Zarate had tattoos related to him The Tren de Aragua gang, from Venezuela It began in the nation’s prisons and has since spread to many areas across the United States.
Members are accused of several high-profile crimes across the US, including the murder of Georgia nursing student Laquan Riley and the shooting of two NYPD officers during an arrest in June.
“I don’t care what your political affiliation is. This is not a Democrat issue. This is not a libertarian or a libertarian issue. This is a human rights issue,” Van Orden said at a press conference on Sept. 9. “The human rights of American citizens are being violated. They are being kidnapped, raped and murdered by criminal illegal aliens, and it just has to stop.”
Van Orden told Fox News Digital that she stands by her previous comments despite the backlash she has faced since.
The city of Prairie du Chien, pictured, has about 5,500 residents. (Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post)
“They’re calling us racists because we exposed the fact that a man with tattoos of organized crime was allowed into the country by Harris border czar — he’s a Venezuelan citizen,” Van Orden said.
Van Orden clarified that he was not opposed to it. legal immigrant, Or immigrants who come to the country on temporary agricultural worker visas, given that Wisconsin’s agriculture industry relies on migrants.
“If we don’t have immigrant workers, our dairies, our farms will shut down. If we don’t have immigrant workers, our dairies will shut down. If immigrant workers want to come here and work and send money, I welcome them 100%,” he said. “But it’s not okay to let someone into the country who has tattoos associated with immigrant gangs. We don’t welcome criminal activity. illegal immigrant to come here.”
Prairie du Chien police have confirmed that Zarate entered the country in or around September 2023. El Paso, Texas entry point.
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Rep. Derrick Van Orden told Fox News Digital that his hometown community of 5,500 was rocked by the brutal crime. (Provided by the office of Congressman Derrick Van Orden)
“I’ve been to the border three times. They let people with gang tattoos into the country, and you have a medical exam before you come across the border. They give them medical exams because they don’t want people coming in with tuberculosis,” Van Orden said incredulously.
The former Navy SEAL said the attack has rocked his small community, but it’s only a matter of time before migrant crime strikes there, too.
“Why should a town with a population of 5,500 people be afraid to let their kids play in front of their house?” Van Orden said. “That wasn’t the case three years ago.”
The gang member’s arrest in Prairie du Chien was not his first Clash with police. In November 2023, he was taken into custody on charges of receiving stolen property but was later released.
“Zarate convicted of property crimes Minneapolis and Minnesota “The ones that (Governor) Tim Walz has control of. They let him go because of the sanctuary city policies,” Van Orden said.
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These images, obtained from a Customs and Border Protection intelligence bulletin, show Tren de Aragua’s tattoos and identification cards.
A warrant was issued for his arrest Dane County, Wisconsin Van Orden pleaded guilty to strangulation/suffocation, false imprisonment, assault and disorderly conduct on Dec. 1. In addition to federal policies, Van Orden blamed Dane County Sheriff Calvin Barrett, a Democrat, for the incident earlier this month.
“Dane County Sheriff Calvin Barrett personally bears a great deal of responsibility, and that is a fact,” Van Orden told Fox News Digital. “What (he) cannot deny is that he issued a warrant for Mr. Zarate for strangulation, false imprisonment, assault and disorderly conduct. That warrant came out of his office — if he had spent more time fighting crime instead of complaining about Republicans on his Facebook page, he would have been in custody, and a mother and daughter would not have had to endure several days of sexual assault.”
Van Orden and Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany wrote a letter to Barrett earlier this month seeking answers regarding the warrant for Coronel Zarate.
“Given that Dane County was classified as ‘non-cooperative’ with federal immigration authorities by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) just in June of this year, Representatives Tiffany and Van Orden wrote to seek additional information regarding Dane County law enforcement officials’ interactions with Mr. Coronel Zarate,” the release from the two congressmen said.
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Barrett told Fox News Digital that the Republicans’ allegations were merely “a baseless and distasteful attempt to drum up votes in a battleground state for the upcoming election.” presidential election,” and that the statement about being uncooperative was false.
“As sheriff, I will not tolerate another outrageous attack on our law enforcement profession by actors seeking to politically influence voters. This investigation is an insult to the brave men and women of our Sheriff’s Office who courageously put their lives on the line in service to their community,” Barrett wrote in an email.
“The authors of this investigation are requested to please take your political theatrics in a different direction, as you seek to recover from having thoroughly, factually, and strategically demolished your presidential candidate.” Vice President Kamala Harris.” “To avoid any follow-up investigations, we have not taken reports of people eating cats or dogs,” Barrett said.
