Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made unsubstantiated claims on Thursday that immigrants from Africa, the Middle East, and other regions are “building an army” to attack Americans “from within.”
Speaking at a rally in New York City’s South Bronx, Trump portrayed migrants from China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other countries as violent threats, despite studies showing immigrants are not more likely to engage in criminal activity.
“Almost everyone is a male and they look like fighting age.
“I think they’re building an army,” Trump said to a few thousand supporters in Crotona Park.
“They want to get us from within.”
Trump has repeatedly used inflammatory language to accuse immigrants in the U.S. illegally of fueling violent crime, labeling them as “animals” and blaming them for “poisoning the blood” of the country.
He often cites individual crime cases rather than aggregate data.
“We are not going to let these people come in and take our city away from us and take our country away,” he declared, promising “the largest criminal deportation operation in our country’s history” if re-elected.
Trump also linked record levels of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally to the economic struggles of Black and Hispanic voters, claiming, without evidence, that migrants were taking their jobs.
His appearance in the Bronx was partly due to convenience, as his campaign schedule is affected by his trial in New York on charges of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to a porn star. Earlier in April, he campaigned at a convenience store in Harlem.
The Bronx rally was part of Trump’s effort to exploit President Joe Biden’s weakening support among Hispanic and Black voters ahead of the Nov. 5 election. About 55% of Bronx County residents are Hispanic, and one-third are Black. The crowd on Thursday was more racially mixed than his usual rallies, which are predominantly white.
The New York City Parks Department stated that Trump’s campaign had a permit for up to 3,500 attendees.
Recent polls indicate Trump is gaining ground with Black and Hispanic voters, crucial to Biden’s 2020 win. Trump strategists see an opportunity to secure enough votes in swing states.
In a March New York Times/Siena College poll, Trump was favored by 23% of Black and 46% of Hispanic respondents against Biden, higher than his 2020 support levels.
Political analysts attribute Biden’s waning support among voters of color to the significant impact of inflation on those living paycheck to paycheck.
Ed Rosa, 60, attending his first Trump rally, said he was a longtime Democratic voter but felt his 2020 vote for Biden was a mistake.
He criticized the Democratic Party for becoming “too socialist” and mishandling the economy and the southern border.