Former President Donald Trump has announced plans to initiate “mass deportation” operations in two U.S. cities if he wins the upcoming presidential election on November 5th. Trump specifically mentioned Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado as the starting points for these operations. Springfield has been grappling with an influx of immigrants from Haiti, both legal and illegal. Meanwhile, Aurora has been dealing with Venezuelan gang members taking over apartment buildings.
Trump made these remarks during a news conference at his golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. When asked if he would consider visiting either Springfield or Aurora to showcase the situation there, Trump responded that he might visit both cities but did not provide any specific dates.
While Aurora’s challenges have received attention for several weeks now, Springfield’s issues only recently gained national prominence. The controversy surrounding Springfield’s immigration crisis even led to bomb threats and evacuations of various locations on September 13th.
During a live presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump claimed that illegal immigrants were attacking and consuming people’s pets in Springfield. However, one of the debate moderators stated that a top official from Springfield denied any credible evidence supporting this claim.
President Joe Biden addressed the situation in a White House speech on September 13th and condemned such attacks against Haitians while criticizing Trump’s recent statements.
Springfield officials continue to deny having any proof of Haitians eating residents’ pets. However, Ohio Attorney General David Yost shared a social media post stating that there was a recorded police call from a witness who saw immigrants capturing geese for food in Springfield.
Yost also announced that his office was exploring legal avenues to prevent the federal government from sending an unlimited number of migrants to Ohio communities like Springfield due to the strain it places on their economic, medical, and educational systems.
When questioned about spreading inaccurate information about Springfield despite it being debunked by reporters regarding bomb threats earlier mentioned during his news conference on September 13th , Trump redirected attention towards what he believes is the real threat: illegal immigration at the border. He emphasized large groups entering the United States illegally and highlighted issues such as women being killed or subjected to sex trafficking within migrant caravans.
Trump reiterated his commitment to tightening border security measures and expressed hope that people would refer to him as a “border president,” similar to how some media outlets and politicians have referred informally referred Vice President Harris as “border czar” due her role within Biden administration handling border-related matters.
