Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, speaks during a campaign event, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) 
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump makes a campaign stop at Pubkey Bar and Media House, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) 
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
WASHINGTON | Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday criticized Republican Donald Trump ‘s promise to deport millions of people — starting in Aurora and Springfield — who are in the United States illegally, questioning whether he would rely on massive raids and detention camps to carry it out.
Trump said he would visit both cities embroiled in immigrant controversy, in part, because of his unproven allegations.
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, told the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual leadership conference that the nation can find both a pathway to citizenship for those who want to come and at the same time secure the border.
“We can do both, and we must do both,” she said.
Trump, for his part, leaned heavily on his alarmist message on immigration as he held a rally in Uniondale on New York’s Long Island, focusing the bulk of his remarks on the subject.
“We’re just destroying the fabric of life in our country. And we’re not going to take it any longer. And you got to get rid of these people. Give me a shot,” Trump said.
Trump said he plans in the next two weeks to visit Springfield, Ohio, which has been the center of false accusations from the former president and his running mate JD Vance that members of the city’s Haitian community are abducting and eating cats and dogs.
Trump also said he plans to visit Aurora, where he says a Venezuelan street gang with a small presence in the city has taken over rundown apartment complexes.
Aurora police, some city officials, the Colorado governor and residents have repeatedly refuted the unproven claims.
“The reality is, Donald Trump continues to tell economically damaging and hurtful lies about Aurora,” Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said late Wednesday. “If former president Trump does visit, he will find the city of Aurora is a strong, vibrant, and diverse city of more than 400,000 hardworking Coloradans and a wonderful place to live, run a business, raise a family, and retire.” “
Polis jabbed at Trump in highlighting the city’s advertised cultural diversity.
“I hope the former President takes some time and enjoys some of my favorite haunts like Golden Saigon and Stanley Marketplace,” Polis said. “In Aurora, as in Colorado, we have people from all over the world who contribute every day to making it the dynamic, amazing place that it is.”
Immigrant aid agencies said Trump’s anti-immigrant rants and mistruths create real danger for the community.
“We don’t know what Trump is hoping to get out of coming to Aurora other than to continue spreading the same lies and racist fear mongering.” said Colorado Immigrant Rights Council spokesperson Raquel Lane Arellano. “We are really concerned about the harm that has been caused. We’re seeing increased reports of threats against not just the immigrant community, but also the latino community and communities of color. t’s disheartening to see him continue to spread lies about our community.”
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman has a different take on a visit by Trump.
“I’m very excited that the former President wants to visit our city to see for himself that the narrative that we are being overrun by TdA gang members is false and for our Police Chief to have the opportunity to brief the former President on our successful efforts to identify and arrest TdA gang members including the ones from the apartment video,” Coffman said.
Both candidates took a break Wednesday from campaigning in the toss-up states that will likely decide the Nov. 5 election. The former president drew a large, roaring crowd, giving him a chance to show deep support even in a blue state.
He ripped into Democratic leadership in New York City and state, blaming them for homeless people living in what he called “horrible, disgusting, dangerous, filthy encampments,” and even the conditions on the New York City subway, which he called “squalid and unsafe” and promised to renovate.
“What the hell do you have to lose?” he said in asking for their votes.
Before heading out to the suburbs, Trump stopped at a Bitcoin cafe in New York City. Trump has recently embraced cryptocurrency and on Monday night helped launch his family’s new cryptocurrency venture.
Harris harked back to the Trump administration’s immigration policies as she bid for Hispanic support.
“While we fight to move our nation forward to a brighter future, Donald Trump and his extremist allies will keep trying to pull us backward,” Harris said. “We all remember what they did to tear families apart, and now they have pledged to carry out the largest deportation, a mass deportation, in American history.”
“Imagine what that would look like and what that would be? How’s that going to happen? Massive raids? Massive detention camps? What are they talking about?” she said.
Trump has promised to carry out “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country” if he’s elected in November. He has offered no details on how such an operation would work.
Trump has focused on immigration as a top campaign issue and made it a key focus of his remarks Wednesday.
“Look at what’s happening,” he told his crowd in New York. “Businesses that are fleeing, money draining out of your state and hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants sucking your public resources dry.”
He has an advantage over Harris in opinion polling on whom voters trust to better handle the issue.
Meanwhile, the Teamsters labor union declined to endorse either Harris or Trump, saying neither had sufficient support from its 1.3 million members.
Harris had met Monday with a panel of Teamsters, having long courted organized labor and made support for the middle class her central policy goal. Trump met earlier in the year with a panel of Teamsters, and its president, Sean O’Brien, spoke at his invitation at the Republican National Convention.
Trump’s rally Wednesday night was in Uniondale, an area that could be key to Republicans maintaining control of the House. His party is trying to protect 18 Republicans in Democratic-heavy congressional districts that Joe Biden carried in 2020, particularly in coastal New York and California, and going on offense to challenge Democrats elsewhere.
Long Island in particular features one of the most closely watched races, between first-term Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito and Democrat Laura Gillen. D’Esposito is a former New York Police detective who won in 2022 in a district that Biden won by about 15 percentage points in 2020.
Trump posted Tuesday on his Truth Social platform that the GOP has “a real chance of winning” New York “for the first time in many decades.” In that same post, Trump also pledged that he would “get SALT back,” suggesting he would eliminate a cap on state and local tax deductions that were part of tax cut legislation he signed into law in 2017.
The so-called SALT cap has led to bigger tax bills for many residents of New York, New Jersey, California and other high-cost, high-tax states, and is an important campaign issue in those states, particularly among those New York Republicans serving in districts Biden won.
Harris’ speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute marked the second day in a row that she has tended to constituencies considered key to the Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, she sat for an interview in Philadelphia with members of the National Association of Black Journalists. She decried Trump’s rhetoric and said voters should make sure he “can’t have that microphone again.” She has trips planned later in the week to Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin.
Trump is attempting to return to his campaign cadence after Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt as he golfed in Florida. On Tuesday, he traveled to Flint, Michigan, and has not appeared to alter plans for upcoming trips to the nation’s capital and North Carolina later in the week.
His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, held an event in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
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Kinnard reported from Houston and Colvin reported from Uniondale, New York. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington and Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.
Legal immigration reform and heightened border control were all part of the comprehensive bipartisan bill Trump had killed last spring—all so immigrant vitriol could continue to be the focus of his election.
In actuality, that bill did about as much to control illegal immigration as their Inflation Reduction Act did to reduce inflation. With the election coming up, it was simply meant to provide the Democrats cover. If it passed, they could claim they cared about illegal immigration. If it didn’t pass, they could blame Republicans for the border problem. Most Americans want illegal immigration stopped cold – not simply reduced. There weren’t enough votes in the Senate to pass that fake bill before Trump became involved.
“Most Americans want illegal immigration stopped cold”
No, they don’t. It would be very difficult for anyone to give up the slaves that do all of the unpleasant things that they don’t want to do. Bringing people across the border, legally or illegally is a time-tested way of providing those slaves. Nothing will happen to prevent this, regardless of the political party in power. I have nothing against a system that would bring them here legally and then send them back once they have completed all the dirty jobs that I don’t want to do at a price that I want to pay, but I doubt that anyone would design such a system since the cost would be prohibitive and all would be angry about the high cost of having their toilets cleaned, their grass cut or the their roof shingled.
You are absolutely WRONG on that. Did you read it? It was a bipartisan bill that one of the most conservative republican senators helped write. It included most of what Republicans wanted. 7 Republican Senators went on record that Trump told them to vote against it because it would help Biden, the candidate at that time. No other reason but that. He said later publicly that it was a horrible bill. He knows it wasn’t & he pissed off a lot of Republican Senators.
There was absolutely nothing in that bill worth considering that would have curbed illegal immigration. It would have allowed your side to ignore it anytime you felt like it. It was rejected on its merits.
You so desperately need that to be true to support your specious agenda. With out the Orange Bogeyman you would be forced to flounder in a failed attempt to support your candidate. When you can’t cite any accomplishments of Harris, devolve to lies and “Orange Man Bad”. Your shtick it tired, get a new act.
No one cares but Aurora.
And they don’t care either. As a vote harvesting technique, it’s lame.
You can blame Trump all you want, but the reality is Aurora has a bad reputation, and it ain’t because of Trump. The economic damage is a direct result of the rampant crime… guess somebody has to say the quiet part out loud. Aurora and Colorado governments have failed, and continue to fail, the good citizens of Aurora.
it’s the ‘good citizens’ of Aurora that are causing the crime. The question is why?
The people causing the crime are neither good, nor citizens. Your question answers itself.
What “economic damage” ? I haven’t been damaged in any way.
More nuclear-grade solipsism.
Now be specific. What damage, have I incurred because of the actions of any imigrant, legal or illegal? You could include and physical or economic damage. You might mention that my taxes were affected by any burden that these individuals put on them and that might be true, probably is. However, my method of dealing with that is two fold. I charge more for my product or service, or I find a way of not paying that tax. (with that right kind of tax help, that is easy.) One may also simply cheat and that has worked well for many people, including me. Of course, it all depends on how much money/power one has. I have to assume at this point that you are not “in” business and have neither.
But you don’t provide any products or services, Old Solipsist. In fact, you’re a net drain on society itself.
So by that measure, absolutely nothing you state about “value” needs to be taken seriously.
Aurora voters take notice. We are at the center of this nonsense because our resident idiot, Danielle Jurinski pushed a lie. I’ll say one thing for her; she’s consistently horse manure! Remember this crap next year when we have the opportunity to replace her and inept Coffman!
oh,my, thank you…has it been that long???? seems like forever for sure. Just remember a segment of Aurora re elected Coffman….there’s an angry part of Aurora that will elect anyone who shares their anger. The name calling will begin sometime soon…..bet on it.
Nice try.
We all saw what was happening in Aurora. As well as Denver, El Paso, Brooklyn, Bronx, AL,and even here in Boston… All while the media denies it (Governor of CO said figment of our imagination, right?)
How dare you news stations continue to push this cover up?
We are not at the center of this issue because of Juinski, we are in the middle of this issue because of the illegal aliens who were armed and breaking into apartments. It was great that someone captured this all on film, or someone close to you would lie and say it never happened. Are you going to believe this rag or your lying eyes?
Those of you who are so excited to have this felon, woman molester con man come to Aurora…..just think of how much money it’s gonna cost the city with all the extra security overtime and god knows what other charges that will be created!!
Several years ago, a person asked me if I was going to vote for Trump over Hillary, because if Trump got into the White House, we would have a womanizer and rapist in the White House. I asked if Hillary were elected. What would Bill then be. She walked away and has never spoken to me since, No great loss. There are problems on all sides.
Make sure the Trump campaigne gives the city a “CASH DEPOSIT” to cover any and all overtime,traffic disruptions. Noise pollution, etc. His campaigne is known to duck out of paying for the extra services required in quute a # of cities he’s been to.
A city in AZ collected $197,000 in advance because he still owed them $82,000 from 2021. And don’t let certain members of counsel get anyway near it. Liars are usually Theives too!
I am a native Auroran and 3rd generation Coloradoan. I am proud of my city. It is diversity that gives us strength. Yes like any other city as it has grown it has had its problems but we have also overcome so much. I personally do not want someone like Donald Trump to come and my city. We don’t need him to try and sow his hatred divisive rhetoric here.
“Yes like any other city as it has grown it has had its problems but we have also overcome so much.”
What a hilariously fatuous statement.
I do not want trump’s hate, lies and fear mongering , nor do my family, friends, work colleagues, clients or neighborhood. I can’t speak for all of Aurora, but I can speak for my world, that loves Aurora in all it’s diversity, sees how trump/vance trying to create made-up stories (vance’s words) to get the focus on something besides their bad character and empty, self-serving attempts at leadership. trump trying to kill the ACA when it was saving my life with not even a concept of a plan, showed me how incompetent and cruel he is. I hope Aurora will tell them to STAY AWAY.
Way to go Debra! A whole comment without saying how much you hate Mayor Coffman. Alas, we do note, as mentioned many times before that you hate the Donald. So happy to hear that the ACA saved your life, though.
You blame the person thats shining a light on this (one.if many actually) and not the people that caused it.
Anyone with access to social media knows what’s happening
It’s about time that Aurora realizes that diversity does not give us strength but puts together a bunch of people that do not think alike and there doesn’t appear that anyone has found a way to bring us together.
Rather DEPORT TRUMP
Rather DEPORT DEBRA MACKILLOP
Hopefully trump will stay away. If he comes, he costs a lot and will stiff Aurora. He still owes cities and states for 2016, 2020 and his latest campaign! Beware.
Whenever trump goes to a town and does his usual attacks on many groups, HATE CRIMES increase, both there and generally. Just another reason to deny his request.
At this point, in regarding both sides of the argument, I have to assume that few, if any of the commentators sell products and services at a profit. Both sides appear to dislike America or perhaps even hate America because they are unsuccesful at what America is great at: Selling products and services. To be successful at the game, one does not care if the customer is black, white, green or purple. One does care if the customer wears a burka of a mini skirt, is guy wearing lipstick or a women that like to kiss other girls. Everyone is a customer. And that is America. Your either in or your out. Make a choice.
The Author claims Trump has made False accusations regarding aurora and Springfield OH.
Are the Residents of these areas also lying?
Because many have spoken up about the situation and it wasnt good.
The Trump haters will continue to make more False accusations about Trump than Trump ever has about the state of this Nation.
Anyone with eyes to see with and a brain to think with knows we are worse off now than when Trump was in office.