AURORA | Before former President Donald Trump arrived in Aurora Friday for a campaign rally, local Democratic leaders pushed back against his rhetoric, accusing him of spreading misinformation and demonizing immigrants for political gain.
“Donald Trump has invited himself to Aurora to do what he does best — demonize immigrants and lie to serve his own political purposes,” said Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet during a press conference held Friday morning inside the Cheluna Brewing Company at The Stanley Marketplace in northwest Aurora.
Local officials, including Gov. Jared Polis, Sen. John Hickenlooper, and Reps. Jason Crow and Diana DeGette called the press event to rally support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Democrats said they want to hold Trump responsible for spreading misinformation about the Aurora community and killing the toughest bipartisan deal to secure the border in decades, officials stated.
For weeks, Trump has repeated a debunked narrative that Aurora has been overrun by Venezuelan gang members.
At the Stanley event, Polis, Bennet and Crow highlighted the positive changes in Aurora, one of Colorado’s fastest-growing and most diverse cities.
“The true Colorado gem, the great city of Aurora,” Polis said. “Of course, Aurora is a safe, vibrant, wonderful place to live.”
With a population of 400,000, Aurora has seen a notable decrease in crime over the past two years, including a 31% drop in auto theft and a 25% drop in burglary, Polis said.
Regional statistics show a similar drop in crime rates across the metro area, and in many places across the nation.
Polis attributed these local improvements to increased investment in law enforcement and targeted crime prevention efforts, such as targeting auto theft or funding additional prosecutors.
However, the focus quickly shifted to Trump, who Democrats say is using his visit to promote fear and division. They pointed to Trump’s past decisions, particularly his role in blocking bi-partisan created comprehensive immigration reform in Congress, as evidence that he is more interested in stoking political fires than solving real problems.
Senate Republicans twice blocked a bipartisan bill aimed at reducing the number of migrants allowed to claim asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, following pressure from Donald Trump, according to the Associated Press.
The bill, first rejected in February due to its link to a foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and U.S. allies, has become a focal point amid growing concerns over immigration in this election year.
Bennett responded emotionally on Friday, sounding angry about the effects Trump’s rhetoric has caused Colorado.
“He has such a pathological hatred for immigrants and for immigration in this country that he can’t even see the economic benefits of immigration in the United States or in our history,” Bennet said.
Crow emphasized Aurora’s strength as a diverse community, with more than 130 languages spoken and nearly 20% of residents born outside the U.S. He criticized Trump’s attempts to divide the city, calling the former president’s rhetoric harmful and misleading.
The Democrats praised Harris, whom they described as committed to solving immigration issues and uniting communities like Aurora.
“Kamala Harris brings practical solutions,” said Polis, urging voters to support Harris in the upcoming election. The leaders framed the election as a choice between Harris’ forward-thinking leadership and Trump’s divisive politics.
As Aurora moved into the national spotlight, elected Democrats and others, including Republican Mayor Mike Coffman, said they hoped to shift the narrative, showcasing the city as a thriving, safe and inclusive place for families and businesses while rejecting Trump’s attempts to use it as a backdrop for his campaign.
With the election just weeks away, they called on Coloradans to stand together and reject what they described as a “toxic” political agenda.
“These lies and these distortions about immigrants and refugees in our community are designed to tear us apart and to pit us against each other so that we cannot unite and push back against his lies and distortions, but we will not do it because we know who we are,” Crow said. “We are Aurora strong.”
where was mike coffman? mayor of aurora and most promenant republican for many years.
What’s George Costanza doing there!
Is it too late for Joe Manchin, Nikki Haley or RFK to reconsider an Independent run? Or Ron Desantis? Or how about Ivanka Trump?
Across the U.S., sane moderate Independents are drinking heavily, hoping the country survives the next four years either way this goes.
The four horsemen of Democrat apocalypse and the simpleton Polis to lead them all. We know when they are gaslighting us because their lips are moving
Didn’t take long for “journalist” Cassandra to drink the Dave Perry socialist kool aide. Then again he is her boss.
Tom Mueller, if you have paid attention or been around Aurora awhile, you would know that the Mayor and the Donald have had “words” in the past. And we all know when the Donald doesn’t like you, he makes it sting.
“The true Colorado gem, the great city of Aurora,” Polis said. “Of course, Aurora is a safe, vibrant, wonderful place to live.” A huge over statement don’t you think?