Republican nominee holds rally in Aurora, Colorado and exploits swirl of local rumors to push anti-immigrant plan

Donald Trump intensified his politics of nativism and xenophobia on Friday by announcing a sweeping plan to deport Venezuelans he claimed have “infected” a once peaceful city in Colorado.

The Republican presidential nominee held a campaign rally in Aurora on a stage adorned with posters displaying mugshots of people in prison-orange uniforms with descriptions including “illegal immigrant gang members from Venezuela”.