At a rally in Colorado on Friday, Donald Trump revealed his plans for “Operation Aurora,” a federal initiative aimed at identifying and deporting illegal immigrant members of the transnational Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, among others, should he win reelection.
Trump introduced the program in Aurora, Colorado, where the gang has recently become known for its violent takeover of an apartment complex. Aurora’s mayor, Mike Coffman, has acknowledged that the gang is increasing its influence in the area.
“They’ve pushed out the property management through intimidation and then collected the rents,” Coffman told reporters on Fox News.
🚨 NEW: President Trump will be announcing “OPERATION AURORA” today in Colorado, which will force the removal of illegal migrant members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TDA)
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 11, 2024
This is HUGE news 🔥
TDA has been staging violent takeovers of apartment complexes around… pic.twitter.com/yF4ld8jlLy
Aurora, Colorado mayor details the migrant gang takeover of apartment buildings in his city: "They've pushed out the property management through intimidation and then collected the rents." pic.twitter.com/R0D1hRbr5k
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 11, 2024
The gang was filmed breaking into apartments with firearms and threatening tenants at gunpoint. Recently, a 25-year-old man, whose name has not been released by the police, was shot and killed by a member of the group while standing outside the troubled complex, for reasons that remain unclear, according to Fox Digital.
The three gang members identified in the shooting were all illegal immigrants who had previously been released from Border Patrol custody and allowed back into the country.
“My message today is very simple,” Trump began. “No person who has inflicted the violence and terror that Kamala Harris has inflicted on this community can ever be allowed to become the President of the United States.”
“Colorado is going to vote for me because I am going to make Colorado safe again,” Trump added, claiming that he’s going to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 which aims to target “every illegal migrant criminal network operating on American soil.”
“I’m announcing today that upon taking office, we will have an operation Aurora at the federal level to expedite the removals of these savage gangs and I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798,” Trump continued. “Who would have ever thought that a president or a future president would ever have to stand here and say such things?”
A Trump campaign official recently referenced a report indicating that police arrested more than a dozen members of the Venezuelan gang linked to a different apartment complex takeover in San Antonio, Texas.
“With your vote, we will achieve complete and total victory over these sadistic monsters,” Trump proclaimed.
Recently released ICE data indicates that there are more than 13,000 illegal immigrants convicted of murder currently living among American citizens. Many of these individuals are thought to have arrived during the Biden-Harris administration, coinciding with a significant increase in illegal border crossings over the past four years.