Trump announces plans to visit Springfield (Ohio) and Aurora (Colorado)

“I’m going to Springfield and I’m going to Aurora,” Trump said during a political rally on Wednesday.

Due to the nationwide debate about illegal immigration, the two cities have become focal points of the 2024 presidential election.

As for Springfield, conflicting claims that illegal immigrants were eating residents’ pets catapulted the small Ohio town into the national spotlight when the former president mentioned it during the September 11 presidential debate.

“What have they done to our country by allowing these millions and millions of people to come into our country,” Trump said during the debate. “And look at what’s happening to cities all over the United States. And a lot of cities don’t want to talk about it — it won’t be Aurora or Springfield. A lot of cities don’t want to talk about it because they’re so embarrassed. In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Aurora became the center of attention after allegations emerged that members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were living in the city, committing numerous acts of violence and occupying an apartment complex. CBS News reported that Denver-based law firm Perkins Coie was hired to investigate the allegations against Tren de Aragua and confirmed that the gang had a “stranglehold” on the apartment building.

“The evidence we have reviewed suggests that gang members commit blatant trespassing, assault, human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors, illegal possession of weapons, extortion, and other criminal activities, often targeting vulnerable Venezuelans and other immigrants,” former U.S. Attorney T. Markus Funk wrote in the law firm’s report.

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Trump’s political opponents claim that such allegations against both cities are exaggerated and untrue.

Trump did not confirm a date for his visit to the cities. During the rally, the former president said it would take place in “two weeks.” Furthermore, no details were given about what such a visit would entail, whether it would be a political rally or another event.