Trump takes most direct swipe at Harris’ border record yet and unveils plan to use 1798 law to dismantle migrant gangs
Speaking to a crowd of thousands of MAGA faithful in Aurora, Colorado, Donald Trump announced a brand new illegal migrant operation named after the city.
‘Operation Aurora’ will target the infamous transnational Venezuelan criminal gang Tren De Aragua.
Trump made the new policy goal a reality while standing next to blown-up mugshots of several gang members apprehended by Aurora police.
A video from August shows several illegal immigrants openly carrying a rifle and handguns around an Aurora apartment complex without fear of repercussions while making threats to tenants.
Shortly after the video was recorded, a 25-year-old was shot dead in the complex. At least one gang member was reportedly part of the armed group.
Trump said Friday that Operation Aurora would act as a removal program for gang members, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 “to target and dismantle any illegal criminal migrant network operating on U.S. soil.”
Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, arrives for a campaign rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Aurora, Colorado. Mugshots of TDA gang members were used as stage props
However, it is currently unclear how the plan would differ from current policies that allow the US to remove violent criminals.
The ex-president continued to blast the “migrant crime” enabled by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ immigration policies, which inspired his campaign’s creation of the plan.
“What are they doing to Colorado? They are ruining your state,” Trump began. “I will save Aurora…I will make Colorado safe again!”
The ex-president then specifically blasted Harris for allowing the migrants to enter the US
“And she has them resettled in your community… to prey on innocent Americans because that’s what they do.”
He then delved into the claims about the local migrant gangs.
‘Several apartment buildings have been taken over by the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren De Aragua… it is a ferocious gang, the worst in the world.’
“They held tenants at gunpoint and at knifepoint,” Trump said. “Where do they get these weapons?”
“The illegal alien gang member behind the invasion of Aurora was recently charged with beating a man beyond recognition,” Trump continued, adding that the leader shot people and broke bones “just for fun.”
Trump recounted how a mother of three left her Aurora apartment in fear for her children’s lives
Signs are placed on stage before Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks during a rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center on October 11, 2024 in Aurora, Colorado. Trump is campaigning in key states ahead of the November 5 presidential election
However, some local officials have pushed back on claims that Venezuelan gang members have captured the city.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis called the idea that migrants have flooded Aurora an “imagination.” Similarly, then-interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris denied that a gang had overrun apartment complexes.
But Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman admitted in late August: “This is an organized criminal effort.”
Colorado residents interviewed by DailyMail.com at the meeting, including some local Aurora residents, also said there have been safety concerns with migrants.
The storyline about the migrants in Aurora has long fascinated Trump since the claims were made late this summer.
The Aurora Police Department recently announced the arrest of a TDA member on September 26
Harrowing new footage appears to capture the moment an armed Venezuelan gang took control of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado
“You saw in Aurora, Colorado, a group of very tough young thugs from Venezuela taking over large areas, including buildings,” Trump said on the Lex Freidman Podcast on September 3. ‘They’re taking over buildings. They have their big guns.”
Addressing a crowd in New York weeks ago, he promised to visit the Denver suburb.
“You may never see me again, but that’s OK,” he joked at the time. “I gotta do what I gotta do.”
On Friday, Trump made good on his promise to loud applause.
However, the trip is unlikely to win Colorado for Trump as Harris has a commanding lead in the state, recent polls show.
Although it was symbolic that he prioritized immigration during his campaign.