During a rally in Aurora, Colorado, Donald Trump escalated his anti-immigration rhetoric by calling for the death penalty for migrants who kill U.S. citizens or law enforcement officers.
Standing alongside images of alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Trump announced that, if elected, he would initiate a national operation called “Operation Aurora” to target gang members.
As the Republican presidential candidate, Trump has significantly toughened his stance on immigration in the final weeks leading up to the November 5 election, where he faces Democratic contender Kamala Harris.
“I am calling for the death penalty for any migrant who kills an American citizen or a police officer,” Trump declared, receiving cheers from the crowd.
Trump has previously proposed expanding the death penalty to include other serious offenses, such as sex trafficking of women and children.
Although there is a federal death penalty, it is rarely applied. Expanding it to cover additional crimes would require approval from the U.S. Congress, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, a non-profit organization.
