July 10--Donald Trump is doubling down on his recent incendiary remarks on immigration, even as some companies, celebrities and GOP leaders continue to distance themselves from the Republican presidential candidate.
On Friday evening, Trump is scheduled to appear at a news conference in Los Angeles with several anti-immigrant activists, including several family members of people who were killed by immigrants in the country illegally and one activist connected to the controversial Minuteman Project.
Then on Saturday, Trump is expected to call for stricter immigration enforcement at a rally in Phoenix with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, known for his harsh policies targeting immigrants.
Even amid criticism from some party leaders and companies that will no longer do business with him, Trump has escalated his anti-immigrant rhetoric since his campaign announcement last month, during which he called Mexican immigrants "rapists" who bring drugs and crime to the United States.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," Trump said in comments that led Univision, NBC Universal and other companies to cut ties with the business mogul. "They're sending people that have lots of problems."
In recent days, Trump has focused his criticism on San Francisco's sanctuary policies, under which a Mexican immigrant in the country illegally was able to be out on the streets. He has been charged with murder in a high-profile shooting July 1.
Immigration agents had asked the San Francisco Sheriff's Department to hold the suspect, Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, but the county's policies prohibit police from transferring immigrants to federal authorities without a criminal warrant.
That shooting is likely to be highlighted at Trump's news conference Friday.
According to Trump's campaign, he will meet privately Friday with several anti-immigrant advocates, including Lupe Moreno, who has been a leader in the pro-border control Minuteman Project, and the family of Jamiel Shaw Jr., an L.A. high school football star who was killed in 2008 by an immigrant in the country without permission.
Don Rosenberg -- whose son was killed in 2010 by an immigrant from Honduras who came to the country illegally but had been given temporary legal status -- said he also planned to attend the meeting.
Rosenberg said his appearance at the event is not an endorsement of Trump's campaign, but he said he appreciates the candidate putting immigration at the center of the 2016 presidential race.
"I think that what he said he could have articulated better, but the general premise of what he said is true," Rosenberg said. "I'm happy that he brought the subject up because it needs to be talked about. Every crime an immigrant commits is an additional crime. Every crime they commit is a crime they wouldn't have committed otherwise."
Later Friday, Trump is set to headline an event for Friends of Abe at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Brentwood. Pro-immigrant groups have planned a protest outside of the dinner, replete with pis modeled after Trump and stuffed with trash.
The Friends of Abe group, founded a decade ago by Hollywood actors including Gary Sinise and Clint Eastwood, holds monthly gatherings that feature Republican speakers. This election cycle the group has hosted several GOP presidential hopefuls such as Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee. The events are private and not publicly advertised.
"The main purpose of Friends of Abe is to serve as a conservative counterpoint to the Democratic-leaning Hollywood fundraising machine," said a former member who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of close ties the person has with current members. "The only way to get into the group is to be brought in by another member, and then you're vetted by the group's leadership."
On Saturday, Trump plans to travel to Phoenix, where he is scheduled to speak to Republicans alongside Arpaio, an immigration firebrand. The event has created such a buzz and a demand from the public that it will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center, Trump's campaign said late Thursday.
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican, called on the Maricopa County Republican Party not to host Trump.
"Donald Trump's views are coarse, ill-informed and inaccurate, and they are not representative of the Republican Party," Flake said in a statement. "As an elected Republican official, I'm disappointed the county party would host a speaker that so damages the party's image."
Still, some leaders of the local GOP remained steadfast, and have said they will welcome the real-estate mogul.
"In Maricopa County we believe deeply in Reagan's 11th commandment that 'Thou shall not speak ill of any other Republican,'" the party said in a statement. "It is disappointing when our Republican leaders do not share that same commitment to party unity and teamwork."
