Trump promises new era for the US and reiterates tough stance against immigration at rally before inauguration

Before thousands of followers who braved the weather in Washington to attend a rally prior to his inauguration, the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, assured that he would solve “each of the crises” in the country and reiterated his promise of a strong hand. against immigration after his inauguration.

The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, assured this Sunday that his administration will bring a new era for the country and reiterated his promises of a tough line against immigration, before thousands of followers who braved the cold and rain in Washington to attend a rally held one day before his inauguration, scheduled for Monday, January 20.

“Tomorrow, at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a new day of strength, prosperity, dignity and pride for the United States,” he said at the beginning of his speech, in which he mentioned his intention to control what he called “the crisis on the southern border” of the United States and insisted that he would expel the members of the criminal group “El tren de Aragua.”

Trump, 78, is preparing for a second term with promises of drastic changes in government policies on immigration, economy and trade in the US.

In his speech, the elected president also celebrated the release of Israeli hostages as part of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gazain addition to highlighting its role in TikTok's return to American mobile phones the same day its ban was scheduled.

Plans against irregular migration

Efforts to control the entry and stay of migrants in the country focused much of the president-elect's speech at the Capital One Arena in the US capital. Trump assured that he will impose severe limits on immigration on his first day in office, in line with his campaign promises.

“By the time the sun sets tomorrow, the invasion of our country will have stopped,” he said to cheers before thousands of attendees.

Along these lines, he stressed that he will order the largest deportation operation in US history, expelling millions of immigrants, despite the fact that experts affirm that an effort of that magnitude would probably take years and would be enormously costly for the nation.

“This is the largest political movement in American history, and 75 days ago we achieved the most epic political victory our country has ever seen,” he said. “Starting tomorrow, I will act with historic speed and solve each and every crisis facing our country,” Trump added.

He also assured that his administration will take measures against immigrants who operate in the United States under the orders of the well-known criminal gang “Tren de Aragua”, a group that Trump has already referred to in several of his campaign events.

“These are tough people and they are leaving our country,” he said.

The event at the Capital One Arena marked his first major speech in Washington since the one delivered on January 6, 2021, which preceded his followers' storming of the Capitol. Trump has said he will pardon many of the more than 1,500 people convicted or charged in connection with the attack.

Trump's rally, along with his inauguration speech on Monday, are seen as a preview of the tone he plans to take during his second term in the White House.

The first decrees

A source familiar with the planning told reporters that border security will feature prominently in Monday's first decrees, which will likely classify drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.”

He will also declare an emergency at the southern border and move toward reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which forces non-Mexican asylum seekers to wait in the neighboring nation for their U.S. court dates.

Trump announced that he would order the military to build an anti-missile shield over the United States, although he has not yet offered details on how to carry it out.

Additionally, he promised to end the “overclassification” of government documents, an apparent reference to his federal indictment for withholding classified documents after leaving office. That case, along with another federal indictment for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, was dropped by the Justice Department following the November victory.

On that note, he pledged to make public classified documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

A meeting with his followers before the investiture

The massive event took place at the Capital One Arena, an indoor space, located in the heart of the American capital and selected as a preventive measure against the low temperatures that led to the cancellation of the inauguration celebration, which had originally been planned outdoors.

Due to the change in program, thousands of his followers will not be able to see the president-elect take the oath of office in person on the steps of the Capitol. Instead, Trump will be inaugurated under the dome of the Congress building, a ceremony that will be followed by his supporters in the Capital One Arena itself.

Despite the adverse weather, there were long lines of supporters on Sunday wearing red caps and jackets with the slogan “MAGA” (“Make America Great Again” in Spanish). Between chants of “USA! USA!” and improvised speeches with megaphones, the fervor among attendees for Trump's return to the White House was evident.

The singer and rapper Kid Rock, the group The Village People, and several celebrities such as actor Jon Voight performed at the event. Trump also called tycoon Elon Musk, one of his closest allies, to the stage.

Hours before the rally, the president-elect participated in an event honoring the fallen at nearby Arlington Cemetery.

The city – particularly the areas around the Capitol and the White House – remains under tight security measures. Since last week, large sections of the center have been blocked with steel fences, in addition to a strong police presence that seeks to guarantee order and security during these days.

On Saturday, Thousands of detractors of the president-elect marched through the main streets of the capital until reaching the emblematic monument to Abraham Lincoln to protest against Trump's inauguration.

Protesters carried signs reading “Feminists against fascists” and “People above politics.”

“It's really heartwarming to be here today with all of you in solidarity and togetherness, in the face of what is going to be really horrible extremism,” Mini Timmaraju, director of the advocacy group Reproductive Freedom for All, told the crowd.

Anuel AA and J Quiles, the Hispanic representatives

Puerto Ricans Anuel AA and Justin Quiles were the Hispanic representation among the speakers who took the stage before the president-elect's intervention.

“I want to thank President Trump for having us here. “I speak on behalf of the entire Hispanic community, who spoke and voted,” said reggaeton player Anuel AA, convinced that the Republicans “did not win by chance.”

The interpreter of Addicted and Secret He confessed that “a lot of people went against us once we spoke out for Trump,” but that he was now “very happy that they saw the results and that everyone ignored a lot of the attacks that Trump was receiving.”

“Everyone was trying to tarnish his image and all of that was in vain. I want to thank my Hispanic community. We stood firm, we stood together. Now we have the strongest president of all time looking out for us. I know that these four years will be incredible, I know that it will do many good things for the entire Hispanic community,” he noted.

For his part, J Quiles insisted on the effort that both he and his professional colleague made during the campaign in favor of Donald Trump and “ensuring that our Latin community was present and showed a lot of love to Mr. President.”

“I am happy to be here, as is everyone else who is here. I always say I love President Trump because he's not a puppet. I love that about him,” she said while confessing that it was the first time she had voted in a presidential election and she was “happy to have given that vote to Mr. Trump.”

(With information from The Associated Press and Reuters)