In a recent campaign appearance, Republican Senator JD Vance, running mate to Donald Trump, defended his past comments on immigration by citing the movie "Gangs of New York" as an example of how immigration can lead to higher crime rates. Vance's reference to the film, however, has been met with skepticism due to its depiction of nativist violence against immigrants.

During the appearance at the Milwaukee Police Association, Vance was questioned about his previous assertions that past waves of immigration were responsible for increased crime rates, and whether mass deportations, a prominent part of the Trump-Vance campaign platform, would have helped address these issues.

Responding to the inquiry, Vance brought up Martin Scorsese's 2002 film "Gangs of New York," in which the main character, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, seeks revenge for his father's death by infiltrating a violent anti-immigrant gang during the mid-19th century.

"We know that when we have these massive ethnic enclaves form in our country, it can sometimes lead to higher crime rates," Vance remarked. "What happens when you have massive amounts of illegal immigration, it actually starts to create ethnic conflict, it creates higher crime rates. We've certainly seen that over the last few years."

While Vance leans on "Gangs of New York" as evidence for his claims, critics question his understanding of the film's message. As pointed out by Washington Post columnist Philip Bump, "the most brutal, vicious killer in that movie is the nativist who loathes immigrants."

Moreover, Vance's correlation between immigration and crime is not supported by research. Numerous studies have consistently shown that there is no significant link between immigration and crime. In fact, immigrants often have lower crime rates than native-born Americans, as confirmed by Michael Light, a sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Light, who has conducted research on the subject, stated, "Of course, foreign-born individuals have committed crimes. But do foreign-born individuals commit crime at a disproportionately higher rate than native-born individuals? The answer is pretty conclusively no."

Despite the evidence, cases of violent crimes committed by migrants often receive widespread national attention, partly due to unfounded fears about immigrants taking jobs and engaging in criminal activities. These fears have been perpetuated by long-standing claims made by Donald Trump.

Vance's association with Trump has been met with mixed reviews, with polls indicating an increase in his unfavorable ratings since becoming the GOP nominee's running mate. While Vance continues to advocate for mass deportations as a solution to crime and immigration issues, the evidence supporting such a strategy remains widely contested.

As the election campaign continues, Vance's controversial claims and their lack of factual basis will likely draw further scrutiny from both supporters and critics alike.