What he called them · 2024 campaign · № 113
Claimed Venezuela's crime fell because it 'sent us their criminals'; fact-checkers found no source
“Because they sent us their criminals. That's why. It's true. It's true. Do you know Venezuela is down 66%? Because they sent us their gang members and their gangsters. They sent us their drug dealers and their murderers.”
- Said
- , Political rally, Vandalia, Ohio
- Subject
- Venezuela
- Target
- Other countries
- Place
- Venezuela
- Topic
- Immigration
- Era
- 2024 campaign
What happened
The figure shifted between 66, 67, 72 and 74 percent over later speeches (e.g. Mosinee, Wisconsin, September 7, 2024; the post-inaugural rally on January 20, 2025). WLRN reported that fact-checkers could not trace the figures to a reliable source and that criminologists said homicides had fallen, but not by those amounts or because of migration to the U.S. As president he said Venezuela 'emptied their prisons into our country' (Fox News, May 15, 2026).