Former US President (2017-2021) and Republican candidate Donald Trump once again resorted to his monologue on relationship between crime and irregular immigration mobilize the conservative vote in California, a state with a Democratic majority, with the intention of retaining control of the House of Representatives in November.
Trump appeared at Coachella, a town east of Los Angeles known for the festival of the same name, as a headliner to talk about the “immigrant invasion” and promise that if he wins the elections November 5 will be “Liberation Day”.
The former president once again used the transnational gang Tren de Aragua to establish a direct link between illegal immigration and crime in the country, which not supported by datawhich indicates that the crime rate among immigrants is lower than that of the rest of the population.
“California has been invaded“said the presidential candidate. “Beautiful girls are cut into pieces”said the former president, who hopes fear of illegal immigration, which exploded during the early years of President Joe Biden’s administration, will help him win the November election.
Trump promised the death penalty against all immigrants who kills an American citizen or a police officer.
The Republican said that will enforce a 1798 law against foreign enemies of the United States for authorization to mass deport immigrants who entered the country illegally in what was dubbed “Operation Aurora,” in reference to the Colorado city that attracted media attention due to the presumed presence of the Aragua train.
Local leaders in Colorado have debunked this narrative about immigrant crime, including Aurora’s Republican Mayor Mike Coffman, who said this week that “concerns about Venezuelan gang activity have been grossly exaggerated.”
Police departments in several cities across the country have detected activities linked to Train Aragua, an organization born in a prison near Caracas and accused of crimes such as extortion and sexual exploitation of migrants in South America.
However, Trump and the ultra-conservative news ecosystem have amplified this type of information and taken data on undocumented immigrants with criminal records or backgrounds out of context to stigmatize immigrants.
Key Status
California is essential for Republicans to maintain control of the House of Congress, since five to six hotly contested seats are at stake in this state.
California Democratic Rep. and Democratic Caucus Chairman, the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, Pete Aguilar, told EFE that they are “very optimistic that the House majority will win in California. I have a lot of worked on these political efforts to win these seats.
Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez insisted the Coachella Valley was not receptive to Trump’s ideas. “He was not invited by the people who live here,” he said this week of the former Republican president’s visit.
