Trump calls for death penalty for migrants who kill US citizens, police

As part of an incendiary rally in Aurora, Colorado, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for the death penalty for migrants who murder American citizens or law enforcement personnel.

Trump, a former president, made numerous false and deceptive claims about immigrant immigrants in his Friday night speech, giving way to nativist sentiment as he seeks a second term.

“Now America is known all throughout the world as occupied America”, he told the rally, citing a supposed “invasion” of migrants.

Trump also laid out a stark vision for his first days in office, if re-elected, with policy proposals hinged on mass deportation.

“To everyone here in Colorado and all across our nation, I make this pledge and vow to you: November 5, 2024, will be liberation day in America”, he said, with a reference to election day.

In the weeks leading up to the election, Trump has repeatedly vowed to demonize migrants, citing a rise in southern border crossings led by Democratic President Joe Biden.

However, critics have compared Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric to the language used by white supremacist movements historically.

A town in the national spotlight

Trump’s campaign stop in Aurora was intended to stoke immigration fears because he has frequently used the area as an illustration of illegal immigration.

In recent months, misinformation has been spread about the city, with reports that Tren de Aragua, a gang from Venezuela, had taken control of some of the city.

Those claims were false. A property management company was accused of having decrepit conditions in its apartment buildings after a gang presence was blamed for the lack of repairs by media reports.

Despite receiving backlash from local officials, Trump and his supporters have nonetheless continued to spread the false rumors.

Ahead of Friday’s rally, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, a Republican, said in a statement on Facebook, “Concerns about Venezuelan gang activity have been grossly exaggerated”.

400, 000 people in the city of 400, 000 have been the victims of only a small number of Tren de Aragua gang-related incidents, he added.

According to Coffman, “Former President Trump’s visit to Aurora is an opportunity to show him and the country that this city is incredibly safe, not one run by Venezuelan gangs.”

Additionally, a number of studies have demonstrated that undocumented immigrants are significantly less likely than US-born citizens to be detained for felony and violent crimes.

Statistics from Aurora Police Department show that city-related offenses have decreased since last year.

a second term in perspective

Regardless, Trump repeated his false accusations on Friday, promising to “rescue” Aurora and other cities from an “invasion” of migrants.

According to Trump, “we will launch the largest deportation operation in American history.” “We will close the border. We will stop illegal immigration into our nation. We will defend our territory. We will not be conquered”.

Additionally, the Republican candidate made use of xenophobic and racist stereotypes, including that immigrants were likely to carry diseases.

“They’re very sick, very sick. They’re coming into our country. They’re very, very sick with highly contagious disease, and they’re let into our country to infect our country”, Trump said.

If he wins the November election, he made references to what he would do in his first days back in office.

Trump stated today that we will launch Operation Aurora at the federal level to help us stop these brutal gangs.

The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, an outdated law that allows the federal government to arrest and deport foreigners from a nation at war, was a part of the plan, he explained.

Trump then added that he would demand severe punishment for criminal immigrants.

To the cheers of the crowd, he declared, “I’m hereby calling for the death penalty for any migrant to kill an American citizen or law enforcement officer.”

Race enters final phase

With only 23 days until the election, Trump and his Democratic challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris, are in the final stages of the campaign.

Trump has long promoted anti-immigrant sentiment, even before his first successful run for office in 2016.

He spread fabricated facts about the Democratic Party’s secret Muslim leader and former president Barack Obama’s citizenship in the early and middle of 2010.

Trump campaigned in part against portrayals of Mexican immigrants as “rapists” when he announced his campaign for president in 2016. His term in office, which ended in 2021, continued with that rhetoric.

Experts have cautioned against using dehumanizing language to refer to immigrants and foreigners.

However, polls consistently place immigration among the most important US election issues, making it a popular topic for politicians to discuss.

Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, have focused intensely on the issue as the November election approaches.

They have sought to paint Harris as a “border czar” — a false designation — who left the US with “open borders” vulnerable to mass immigration.

Southern border crossings increased under Biden, reaching 250, 000 crossings in the month of December 2023, but they have since decreased to levels comparable to those seen during Trump’s presidency.

Speaking to Latino voters during a Univision town hall on Thursday, Harris defended the Biden administration’s policy on immigration. She cited a recent bipartisan bill that would have tightened border restrictions.

The bill was reportedly scuttled by Republicans loyal to Trump, reportedly at the former president’s behest.

Critics claim that Harris has veered more to the right in regards to immigration issues. She made the promise to put more restrictions on asylum on hold than Biden, who has already acted to limit asylum claims, during a trip to Arizona last month.

Trump and Vance, meanwhile, have zeroed in on communities in cities like Aurora and Springfield, Ohio, to advance apocalyptic claims about immigration.

Source: Aljazeera