Former President Trump is set to hold a rally in Aurora, Colo., weeks after he made attacks on the city and the governor of Colorado.
The rally will be held in the Denver suburb this Friday, according to a Monday press release from Trump’s campaign. The release also described the city as having “become a ‘war zone’ due to the influx of violent Venezuelan prison gang members from Tren de Aragua.”
“With approximately 43,000 migrants flooding the neighboring city of Denver since December 2022, many of these migrants have made their way to Aurora, bringing chaos and fear with them,” the release continued. “Local families have been forced to flee their homes as Tren de Aragua members terrorize apartment complexes with guns, theft, and rampant drug activity. Kamala Harris’ open-border policies are turning once-safe communities into nightmares for law-abiding citizens.”
Trump has a history of talking about Aurora. During last month’s presidential debate between Trump and Vice President Harris, the former president brought up conspiracy theories regarding immigrant gangs in the city. In comments from a rally last month, Trump took aim at Aurora and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D).
“Under border czar Harris, Venezuelan gangs have taken over entire apartment buildings in Aurora, Colorado,” Trump said at the rally.
“The governor is petrified in Colorado,” Trump added, talking about Polis. “He’s a liberal governor; he doesn’t know what to do. The guy is so scared of these guys, and maybe you can’t blame him.”
Following a conspiracy theory about Venezuelan gang members "taking over" apartment buildings in Aurora, the city became a flashpoint in the debate over immigration. The emergence of the conspiracy theory came in the wake of a video featuring men carrying automatic weapons in an apartment complex materializing. Aurora Police have previously said that some gang members had been arrested close to a different apartment building from the one where the video was taken, but also denied the existence of takeovers.
Polis defended Aurora in an interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” the day after Trump’s rally comments.
“What a lot of Americans need to know is Aurora is over 400,000 people. It’s Colorado’s third-largest city. Violent crime is down two years in a row. Car thefts are down two years in a row. It’s a wonderful city. I’m there all the time. It’s really a great, diverse city, and it’s growing fast. It’ll probably be the No. 1 or No. 2 city in Colorado over the next decade or two,” Polis said. “It’s safer than it’s been.”
The Hill has reached out to the Harris campaign and Aurora’s Communications and Marketing Department.
In an emailed statement to The Hill, Polis said Colorado residents "stand united in our love of our state, and we are proud to be a beacon for personal freedoms, a vibrant economy, and world class outdoor recreational opportunities. "
"I am sure when he comes to Aurora, he’ll find an incredible city with two straight years of rapidly declining crime that is filled with hard-working people from many diverse backgrounds and small businesses that are driving Colorado’s economy forward," Polis continued. "As Coloradans, we are proud of Aurora, proud of Colorado, and proud of the United States of America."
