A Democratic strategist outrageously claimed that public safety threats like migrant offenses and carjackings ‘don’t matter to that many Americans.’
Insha Rahman, vice president of advocacy and partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice, made a stark statement while addressing the Democratic National Convention (DNC) attendees during its summer meeting on Monday.
The former public defender discussed Donald Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington DC, calling his efforts a ‘huge opportunity’ for Democrats.
‘You want to discuss the crime issues that concern voters. Where does Trump focus? Migrant crimes, carjackings—those sensational, horrifying topics that are exaggerated and visually overwhelming,’ Rahman told the audience.
‘Don’t take the bait.’
She then cited data from July 2025 reflecting Americans’ personal crime concerns, emphasizing that people prioritize addressing mental health issues and homelessness over the chaotic narratives promoted by Trump.
The poll Rahman referred to was conducted by YouGov and commissioned by Vera Action.
Vera Action, of which Rahman is the director, is the sister organization of the George Soros-backed Vera Institute.
Insha Rahman, vice president of advocacy and partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice, made a stark statement while addressing the Democratic National Convention crowd during its summer meeting on Monday
Former DOGE staffer Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine was beaten during an attempted carjacking in Washington, DC (pictured)
The statistics she presented indicated that 36 percent of respondents are most worried about gun violence, while 34 percent identified homelessness, public drug use, and muggings or assaults as their primary concerns.
According to the poll, opioid and fentanyl abuse was cited as the top concern by 31 percent of those surveyed.
Twenty nine percent cited retail theft and carjackings, while 28 percent cited migrant crime.
Rahman reiterated: ‘Don’t be distracted by discussions on migrant crime or carjackings—issues that actually aren’t significant to many Americans.’
Trump recently signed an executive order to do away with cashless bail for people arrested in DC.
The order challenges a major criminal justice reform effort, as the president continues using executive power to enact stricter policies.
Trump signed another order threatening to withhold federal funding from cities with cashless bail policies.
Cashless bail allows suspects to be released from law enforcement custody without a payment, even if arrested for violent crimes.
Rahman said carjacking is of minimal concern to the American public (pictured: in June 2024, a woman stole a car in DC with someone still inside, then crashed the vehicle and killed the passenger)
Vera Action, of which Rahman is the director, is the sister organization of the George Soros-backed Vera Institute
Trump cited said ‘big crime in this country started’ with cashless bail policies.
‘Somebody kills somebody, they go in. No cash, come back in a couple of months and we’ll give you a trial. You never see the person again,’ he said.
Rahman responded by claiming the president’s executive order favors the wealthy.
‘[Republicans] want money and privilege and to give a handout to the bail bondsman while we want to make sure safety, not wealth, determines who stays in jail and who goes home to their families,’ she said.
She took digs at Trump during her address, depicting him as a power-hungry leader who uses Republican ‘tough-on-crime rhetoric’ that Democrats should push back on.
‘Don’t be afraid of the crime debate. Lean all the way in. Call out what Trump is doing and say the reason crime is going down, our community becoming safer, it’s because of us,’ Rahman said.
She also urged Democrats to refrain from showing declining crime statistics, claiming it gives Trump the chance to ‘take credit’ for the positive change in trends.
Her bold statement caught instant flak from critics.
Donald Trump (pictured) has threatened to send the National Guard into other Democratic cities to replicate his crime crackdown in DC
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents stood guard in Dupont Circle as part of a federal law enforcement deployment to the US capital
‘This Democrat Speaker is a member of the Vera Institute of Justice which advocates for defunding the police,’ the Republican National Committee’s research account posted online.
After George Floyd was killed by a police officer in 2020, sparking an uproar across the country, the Vera Institute wrote: ‘We must dismantle the current culture of policing in the United States.
‘We must work toward solutions that defund police and shift power to communities.’
Rahman’s DNC speech comes as Trump is ramping up his war on crime in the nation’s capital.
Over 2,000 troops from six different GOP-led states have been sent to DC after Trump issued an executive order federalizing the police in the city earlier this month.
The Pentagon stated the National Guard’s mission is focused on being seen as a visible deterrent to crime while supporting law enforcement.
Trump has threatened to replicate this military takeover in other Democratic cities infested with crime.
Last week, the president said he was considering sending troops into Chicago and New York to conduct a similar crackdown operation.
