Donald Trump on Friday reinforced his politics of xenophobia and xenophobia by announcing a sweeping plan to deport Venezuelans he claims have “infected” a once-peaceful Colorado city.
Republican presidential candidates held campaign rallies in Aurora. The stage was adorned with posters with pictures of people wearing orange prison uniforms with descriptions such as “illegal immigrant gang members from Venezuela.”
President Trump told the audience: “Today, in my inauguration, I am announcing that Operation Aurora will be implemented at the federal level to expedite the elimination of these brutal gangs.” He promised to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law that allows the president to deport noncitizens from countries at war with the United States.
“We will continue to work with ICE, Border Patrol, and federal law enforcement agents to hunt down, apprehend, and deport every last illegal alien gang member until there is no one left in this country.” We will deploy our elite troops,” he continued. The crowd roared in approval.
President Trump said if they returned to the United States, they would automatically be sentenced to 10 years in prison without parole. “I hereby call for the death penalty for immigrants who murder American citizens and law enforcement officers. With your vote, we can achieve complete and utter victory over this sadistic monster. Very It’s going to go fast,” he said.
The rally was a detour for Trump, as Colorado is not a battleground state and is likely to vote for Democratic rival Kamala Harris. But recent events have given him an opportunity to use swirling local rumors to spread his anti-immigrant message.
Aurora, a city of about 340,000 people near Denver, made headlines in August after a video circulated showing armed men walking through an apartment building inhabited by Venezuelan immigrants. President Trump expanded on the story, falsely portraying members of the Venezuelan gang Torren de Aragua (TDA) as having taken control of the city.
Officials said the incident occurred on a single city block and that the area is safe again, noting that crime rates in the area have actually decreased. Mike Coffman, the Republican mayor of Aurora, said Trump’s claims are “grossly exaggerated” and that “this story is not accurate by any stretch of the imagination.”
The origins of the TDA go back more than a decade to a notorious prison. In July, the Biden administration imposed sanctions against the gang, placing it on a list of international criminal organizations alongside El Salvador’s MS-13 and Italy’s Mafia-style Camorra, and offering $12 million in bounties for the arrest of three of its leaders. provided. .
At Friday’s rally, President Trump delivered a series to dramatic music, explaining the TDA’s crimes and the killing of Americans by illegal immigrants, and Vice President Harris’ seemingly evasive response to Trump’s labeling of “illegal immigrants.” A news clip was played. He is also the worst border emperor in the history of this country.
“My message today is very simple,” he said. “The person who inflicted the violence and terror that Kamala Harris inflicted on this community should never be allowed to serve as President of the United States.”
The former president promised to make November 5, the day of the election, “Liberation Day,” prompting chants of “America!” united states of america! “From the crowd.
“I will rescue Aurora and all the towns that have been invaded and conquered. These towns have been conquered and we will either put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in prison or expel them from the country. “And we’re going to do it very effectively. It’s going to happen very, very quickly. We’re going to get them out of our country.”
President Trump later added, “We talk a lot about Venezuela, because Aurora is actually infecting Venezuela, but they’re coming from every country.”
The comment was reminiscent of Trump’s past dehumanizing comments, in which he claimed that illegal immigrants are “contaminating our nation’s blood,” and earlier this week, he said the murder suspect “has bad genes.” “There is,” he suggested.
On Friday, in similar fashion, Stephen Miller, a former chief of staff who is expected to take a senior White House role if Trump wins, addressed the crowd before Trump’s appearance and took to the stage. He pointed to the poster.
“Look at all these pictures around me,” Miller said. “Are these the kids you grew up with? Are these the neighbors you grew up with? Are these the neighbors you want in your city?” The crowd responded, “No.” .
The former president has long made immigration his signature issue, pledging to launch the largest deportation operation in U.S. history when he returns to the White House. In recent months, he has targeted specific small communities experiencing large influxes of immigrants, with local tensions rising over resources and some long-time residents facing sudden demographic changes. has expressed concern.
More than 40,000 immigrants have arrived in the Denver metropolitan area in the past two years, including many Venezuelan families fleeing poverty and violence. But Colorado Democratic leaders have accused Trump and other Republicans of exaggerating Aurora’s problems.
“What’s happening is minimal and isolated. And frankly, it’s never acceptable, right? I’m never saying it’s acceptable on any level,” Rep. Jason Crow told The Associated Press. But it’s not a surge. It’s not a change. It’s not taking over any part of this city. It’s not happening.
President Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, also spread falsehoods about the community of Springfield, Ohio, about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets. The disinformation campaign led to bomb threats, school closures, and forced evacuations.
President Trump said he would revoke the temporary protected status that allows Haitians to stay in the United States, citing widespread poverty and violence in their home country.
Democrats accused Trump of blocking a border security bill negotiated by both parties in the Senate, saying it could cripple immigration. “He would rather solve the problem than solve it,” Harris said Thursday at the Univision Nevada City Hall.
