Arizona Politics

Lake Discusses Trump's 'Project Aurora,' Claims Gallego's Father Worked for Cartels

Former President Donald Trump spoke of his plans to implement "Project Aurora" during his campaign tour in Arizona this week, which Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake (R) discussed in a recent appearance on NewsMax, where she also accused her opponent, Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) of being "someone who is not going to get serious" against the cartels since his father is a convicted felon for drug trafficking.

Project Aurora, as described by Trump, would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to "dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American soil" and make the murder of an American citizen or law enforcement officer by an illegal alien a capital offense. The name "Aurora" comes from the city in Colorado, where armed illegal aliens tied to the infamous Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua illegally occupied several apartment buildings.

Lake said the former President would push the proposal in Arizona because "we are suffering just as bad as Colorado. We have the Tren de Aragua gang that is here in Arizona; we have Chilean gangs that are robbing people. They are called the Dinnertime Bandits. They are breaking into people's homes and robbing them of all of their valuables at dinnertime. This has been happening for the last three and a half years."

From here, Lake attacked Rep. Gallego, saying he "is never going to vote for that. He is never going to approve of that because he has, like I said, family ties to the cartels."

The Arizona Congressman's father, Jose Angel Marinelarena, was arrested and convicted for drug trafficking in Chicago back in 1996. However, Rep. Gallego has severed ties with his father and denounced Lake's comments, calling her "pathetic."

"It’s a stain that our family has had to carry. This is why my mom, my sisters and myself have worked our entire life to really live the American Dream and to serve and honor this country despite what he has done," said Gallego.

Grayson Bakich

Grayson Bakich is a Florida and Arizona legislative correspondent for The Floridian and Cactus Politics, specializing in national and state-level politics. With three years' experience covering federal Florida, and Arizona politics, they have been cited by NewsBreak, SGT Report, Lucianne.com, and Cause Action. Email: grayson@dnm.news

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