Brandon Gill unloads on Democrats over illegal immigrant charged with raping teen: 'Collateral damage'
Up-and-coming GOP star Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, is calling out the left for viewing Americans as "collateral damage" as Democratic leaders focused attention over the weekend on the nonfatal shooting of an illegal immigrant in Austin. Gill pointed to the arrest of a different illegal immigrant in Maryland for allegedly kidnapping and raping a teenage girl, saying that "the left will read this and feel absolutely nothing."
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Fox News last week that local police had arrested Abdoulaye Dia, a rideshare driver and illegal immigrant from Guinea, on charges of kidnapping and raping an underage girl during a ride. Dia was allowed into the country under the Biden administration in 2023 and also faces a sexual assault charge involving a minor from earlier this year in New York City. According to DHS, police say that while conducting the ride, Dia took the girl to a parking lot in Silver Spring, Maryland, and raped her in his vehicle. DHS also said authorities believe there are more victims.
Meanwhile, media coverage and criticism from Democrats focused on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Austin shooting another rideshare driver, Venezuelan illegal immigrant Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. A source familiar confirmed to Fox News that ICE officers were conducting targeted immigration enforcement, using license plate checks, when they identified a vehicle registered to Garces Perez, who had a final order of removal. DHS says Perez is in stable condition and in federal custody pending removal. Democrats, including Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, condemned the incident. Casar called the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement a "war" and called for ICE to leave the city.
Meanwhile, Gill slammed the response to the Maryland case, predicting, "The left will read this and feel absolutely nothing" because "they simply don't care how many Americans are r@ped and killed by illegal aliens."
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Gill charged that "to Democrats," victims of illegal immigrant crime are "nothing more than collateral damage in their long term project of using amnesty to build a permanent electoral majority."
CNN questioned Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, about the case. He answered, "I want the people of my state to understand that I have no tolerance for violent offenders, period and full stop," but added, "I also know this, is that the idea that we -- are we supporting a Trump/Vance ICE operation that continues to violate the basic laws of our state, that also is not going to be tolerated."
Moore said that "there is nothing that we will not do to make sure that our communities are safe," adding, "It's the reason we made historic investments in local law enforcement. It's the reason that we have been very clear that, if someone commits a violent crime in our state, I want him in handcuffs in 24 hours, and they will have accountability coming their way." He touted Maryland as currently experiencing "amongst the fastest drops in violent crime anywhere in the United States of America."
"So, I will work with all partners, particularly when it comes to dealing with violent offenders, removing them from our communities, and making sure that they are accountable. And that includes — and that includes our federal partners when it comes to immigration services," he said, before continuing, "But here's the other thing that I do know that, when I look at ICE, ICE was an agency that was funded at $10 billion. Now ICE's budget is over $85 billion. ICE is larger than the FBI. ICE is larger than the ATF. ICE's budget is larger than the state of Maryland. And they are also using that to put unaccountable and unqualified people in our communities that are doing things like arresting five-year-olds."
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"So, I will work to make sure that our communities are safe and address violent criminals everywhere they are," he said.
Meanwhile, Republican New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino commented on the case by criticizing Democrats' response. She posted on X, "Just to be clear, this animal was let across the border by Joe Biden, came to New York where he sexually assaulted a minor, was released thanks to our sanctuary and decarceration policies, and made his way to Maryland where he raped ANOTHER minor while working as an [sic] cab driver."
Paladino charged that "Democrats will call you insane and bigoted for caring about this."
"There is absolutely no amount of rape, murder, or violence that will get Democrats to change anything. This is the status quo to them, and they just don’t care," she wrote, adding, "Open borders and total decarceration. That’s the core of the DSA-led Democrat party. And they will stand on top of a pile of bodies, look you straight in the eye, smirk, and tell you we’re ‘safer’ because of it."
Fox News Digital reached out to Moore and Casar for additional comment.
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According to DHS, Dia was allowed into the country after entering through Lukeville, Arizona, on Dec. 21, 2023. Fox News was on the ground in Lukeville on that day and took footage of long lines of immigrants being allowed into the U.S.
Dia was arrested on June 10 in New York City on charges of sexual abuse by forcible compulsion, forcible touching of the sexual or intimate parts of another person, injuring a child younger than 17 and sexual abuse without consent. Dia was arrested again in Maryland on Wednesday in connection with the alleged rape in a Silver Spring parking lot.
Fox News' Brooke Taylor contributed to this report.