LAS VEGAS – Former President Donald Trump announced Friday that if elected, he would create a federal task force aimed at “destroying” foreign gangs and “liberating Aurora.”
The ruthless Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua, has reportedly taken over several apartment buildings in a Colorado city since expanding its influence in the United States amid a historic surge in illegal immigration under the Harris-Biden administration.
“They've become real estate developers, just like I used to be,” Trump said of organized crime syndicates at a rally in Las Vegas.
“They are breaking up the rivalry between Chile and Colombia… How could we allow this to happen to our country?” the former president said. Recent Wall Street Journal coverage To the gang.
“In Colorado, gangsters even had permission to shoot police officers,” Trump said, referring to a July memo prepared by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago.
“That's unacceptable,” the Republican candidate argued, revealing his plans to run against Tren de Aragua.
“When I return to the White House, I will create a special task force of elite federal law enforcement agents and give them the mission of disrupting and eliminating every foreign gang and organized crime network that is subjugating our country,” Trump vowed.
“We are going to send in ICE, DHS and other federal agents and we are going to liberate Aurora,” he added. “Can you believe I have to say this? We are going to liberate part of the country.”
Aurora police are known to have arrested 10 members of Tren de Aragua in recent months.
Gang members run down the rundown apartment blocks of this city of 390,000 people, terrorizing residents with gun crime, theft and drug dealing.
Earlier this week, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and City Councilman and Public Safety Chair Daniel Jurinski confirmed that “issues” with Tren de Aragua are having a “significant impact” on several properties in the city.
But officials disputed claims that gangs have “taken over” the city, as Trump suggested during Tuesday's debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
During the debate, Trump acknowledged in Las Vegas that he was “angry” while facing off against Harris.
“Of course I'm angry,” he said. “21 million people have invaded our country, invaded our communities, invaded our cities and towns, and destroyed our country.”
“I'm angry that Venezuelan gangs are taking over Aurora, Colorado, I'm angry that Haitian illegal immigrants are taking over Springfield, Ohio… and the American people are very angry,” Trump continued.
The Washington Post spoke to several of the 6,000 Trump supporters who attended the event at the World Market Center, just north of the Las Vegas Strip, and all were glowing with praise for the former president.
Las Vegas resident Sterling Bowden called Trump's speech “great” and predicted Nevada would vote for the Republican presidential candidate on Election Day.
“Because he's the guy,” Borden said, “Nevada has a lot of challenges and he's the guy who can use all the policies to get it done and rebuild everything and make America great again.”
The Silver State has not been won by a Republican presidential candidate since 2004.
The latest polls show Trump trailing Harris in Nevada by just 0.6 percentage points. RealClearPolitics Average State polls.
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who endorsed Trump last month and spoke at Friday's rally, said the state is a “must-win” for the former president.
Also speaking at the event were “Pawn Stars” personality Rick Harrison, mixed martial artist Henry Cejudo and Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown.
Lisa Marrone, who lives in the city's Spring Valley neighborhood, said Trump's speech “touched on everything that's at stake and everything we need to address.”
She also praised her former commander's plan to form a task force to “liberate” Aurora from gangs.
Was she worried about gangs coming to her community? “I'm 100 percent worried,” she replied. “We need to take our country back.”
