Donald Trump once again spread dangerously exaggerated claims about migrants having “invaded” and “conquered” Aurora, Colorado, intensifying his anti-immigration rhetoric and attacking Vice President Kamala Harris.

At a rally in Aurora on Friday, Trump repeated claims about a violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, “taking over” the city. The Republican presidential nominee, who has long supported capital punishmentalso called for the death penalty for migrants who kill U.S. citizens and law enforcement officers.

In a long, rambling speechTrump blamed Harris for allowing immigrants to enter from “the dungeons of the Third World, from prisons and jails, insane asylums and mental institutions” and who he claimed have preyed on “innocent Americans” across the country, including in Colorado’s third-largest city.

“I will rescue Aurora and every town that has been invaded and conquered,” Trump said.

Local officials in Aurora have repeatedly pushed back on Trump’s lies. Police have said they are investigating several gang members for involvement in crimes but rebutted the claim that any gang has “taken over.” Ahead of Trump’s rally on Friday, the city released a statement saying exactly that:

With less than a month until Election DayTrump has stepped up his nativist rhetoric as part of his well-worn tactic of stoking fears about immigration, one of the biggest issues in this race. But his singling out of specific cities like Aurora and Springfield, Ohio, have had serious ramifications for the communities there.

Prior to Trump’s rally, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, a Republican, said that claims about Venezuelan gang activity are “grossly exaggerated and have unfairly hurt the city’s identity and sense of safety.”

“The city and state have not been ‘taken over’ or ‘invaded’ or ‘occupied’ by migrant gangs,” Coffman said.

Aurora’s police chef, Todd Chamberlain, told NBC News that the city is “not overrun” and that it remains “a very safe city” with a “wonderful community that is incredibly diverse.”

Clarissa-Jan Lim

Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking/trending news blogger for BLN Digital. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.