Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump declared Friday that a hamlet in Colorado has been overtaken by Venezuelan gang members after a video from an apartment building went viral—and the state’s governor’s office told Newsweek that it is ready to help.
The remarks were made at a rally following Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman’s announcement on Thursday that two apartment complexes had been taken over by migrants.
“This is a coordinated criminal attempt. “Whether it’s a trend or a drug war, that remains to be seen,” Coffman said on Fox News, following the viral video of armed gang members.
On Friday, the city stated that it was seeking a court order to evict the apartments, branding them a “criminal nuisance”.
The criminal nuisance was supposedly the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), which was active in the region.
The footage in question shows guys with assault guns breaking down the doors of an apartment building in the city.
Aurora’s police department announced Thursday that it has formed a special task force to investigate concerns about Venezuelan gang members and other criminal behavior associated with migrants in the area.
“We are aware that TdA components are operating in Aurora.” The APD has been gathering more evidence to prove that the gang is involved in local crimes,” the police stated.
According to the US Department of State, the TdA began as a prison gang in Aragua, Venezuela, before swiftly expanding in recent years to focus on human trafficking and other atrocities against desperate migrants.
The group is accused of trafficking women and girls for sexual exploitation and murdering them if they attempt to flee.
Members of that gang are now purportedly working in Aurora, with the mayor blaming federal policy for allowing the issue to escalate—an idea supported by Donald Trump.
“These stupid people that we have leading our country are allowing these people, these criminals, to come into our country, and we’ve got to get them the hell out of here,” Trump said during a rally in Pennsylvania Friday.
Aurora Police Department stated that it felt TdA’s impact was limited to the buildings in question, and that it was working with federal and state partners, including the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Newsweek contacted the DEA for additional comment on Friday, and the agency referred to comments made on Denver 7 by its Field Division Special Agent in Charge for Rocky Mountain, Jonathan Pullen.
“It is not appropriate for DEA to offer any additional comments on the organization’s role or presence in the region due to the ongoing, active investigative work being conducted by our agents and law enforcement partners,” Pullen said the audience.
In a Facebook post-Friday, Mayor Coffman stated that the city was awaiting a court ruling from a municipal judge that would return power to property owners.
“The problems associated with Venezuelan gang activity has been isolated to properties that are all under the same out-of-state ownership whose problems with code violations and criminal activity preceded the migrant crisis,” according to the mayor.
“I strongly believe that the best course of action is to shut these buildings down and ensure that this never happens again.”
According to inhabitants of the building, the true managers vanished as the fighting erupted.
When speaking with Fox News earlier this week, the mayor, a Republican, said the gang’s presence was due to “failed policy” at the southwest border, as well as its proximity to Denver, a sanctuary city.
On Friday, Newsweek contacted the mayor’s office and the building’s management business, CBZ Management, for additional comment.
A representative for Colorado’s Democratic Governor, Jared Polis, told Newsweek on Friday that the state had been “ready for weeks” to support any police operation to address the issue.
“Colorado is a zero-tolerance state for illegal activity, taking over buildings has no place in Colorado, and the Governor believes that the city of Aurora shares this basic value and will enforce the law,” the spokesperson said.
“Over the last month, Governor Polis has been in regular contact with the City of Aurora and the Aurora Police Department and has offered all state assistance to support their efforts if requested.”
In July, the Biden administration sanctioned the gang while also providing a $12 million reward for any information leading to the detention and/or conviction of several organization leaders.