Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced on Wednesday night that he intends to visit Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado — two cities that have been thrown into the national spotlight over migrant influxes.
Trump made the announcement during his rally in Uniondale, New York, telling supporters that he will travel to Springfield “in the next two weeks,” adding that he will also visit Aurora in the near future. Both places have become the center of the Trump-Vance message on immigration as residents speak out about the influx of migrants in Springfield and Venezuelan gang activity in Aurora.
“I’m going to Springfield and I’m going to Aurora,” Trump said as the crowd cheered. “You may never see me again, but that’s okay. I gotta do what I gotta do.”
“Whatever happened to Trump? Well, he never got out of Springfield,” he quipped. “I’m leading in Ohio by like 15 points — a lot. And we’re going to take care of Ohio, and we’re going to take care of Colorado, and we’re going to take care of every single state in the union. They’re all under siege.”
In Springfield, which has a population of around 58,000 people, residents have witnessed 20,000 Haitian migrants move into the town in a matter of a few years. Democrats and the legacy media have also focused on the Springfield story, arguing that Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, are wrongfully targeting lawfully present Haitian migrants after the Republicans cited unconfirmed reports of them stealing and eating residents’ pets.
Some residents in Springfield told The Daily Wire that they feel less safe in their hometown, saying the police force is understaffed to deal with the large population increase thanks to the influx of migrants as crime in Springfield has spiked since 2020, according to FBI crime data.