On Oct. 11, former President Donald Trump held a rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colo. He claimed the city has become a “warzone” due to migrant gangs, specifically Tren de Aragua, and vowed to arrest and deport gang-affiliated migrants through what he calls “Operation Aurora.”

Operation Aurora, Trump says, would deploy “elite squads” of ICE, Border Patrol and federal law enforcement to “arrest and deport every last illegal alien gang member until there is not a single one left in this country.”

He says he’ll use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as a legal basis for the operation. This wartime authority allows a president to deport individuals based on their country of origin, regardless of their legal status. It was notably invoked during Japanese internment, a widely criticized chapter of U.S. history.

The rally’s backdrop featured mugshots of undocumented immigrants accused of crimes, along with signs displaying large slogans reading “DEPORT ILLEGALS NOW” and “END MIGRANT CRIME.”

Trump largely blamed Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her actions “one of the most egregious betrayals that any leader in any nation has ever inflicted on its own people.” He accused her of importing undocumented immigrants from the “dungeons of the third world.”

He characterized migrants as hyper-violent, stating “Our criminals are like babies compared to these people. These criminals are the most violent people on earth.” Trump also said he’s in support of the death penalty for any undocumented migrant who kills a U.S. citizen or police officer.

The former president also criticized Colorado Governor Jared Polis. He accused Polis of failing to see that members of an international gang were operating in his state. 

“He doesn’t see people bursting into buildings with military-style weapons. Sometimes, better than our own military,” Trump said.

Polis responded by criticizing Trump’s “cognitive decline,” remarking “I feel bad about the former President’s alarming cognitive decline, which is obvious. His ramblings were hard to track.”

Other speakers at the rally included former White House Advisor to Trump Stephen Miller and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert. Miller asked the crowd about the mugshots posted on the stage. 

“Look at all of these photos around me. Are these the kids you grew up with? Are these the neighbors you were raised with?” Miller said. 

Some critics accuse Miller of promoting the “Replacement Theory,” which suggests that immigrants are trying to replace white people.

Boebert, who’s in a tight race for reelection in Colorado’s fourth district, joked, “Our backyard is looking like an episode of Narcos!” 

Why Aurora?

Aurora gained national attention last month when a video showing armed men entering an apartment began to circulate online and on TV. The video generated many rumors which culminated in Trump referencing Aurora during his debate with Harris. He said that there was now proof that Aurora was being “taken over” by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

While multiple arrests were made in connection with the video, police could not confirm any gang affiliation among those pictured.

Furthermore, there have been multiple arrests related to Tren de Aragua over the last few months in the Denver Metro Area. However, both Aurora’s interim police chief Heather Morris and the mayor of Aurora Mike Coffman say that there’s no evidence of a “gang takeover.”

Trump’s move to campaign in Colorado, a state that hasn’t been won by a Republican since 2004, may help him generate media attention. He is also scheduled to visit California, New York and Chicago in the coming weeks.