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topicnews · September 12, 2024

Mayor of Aurora, Colorado, responds to Trump’s claims about Venezuelan ties

Mayor of Aurora, Colorado, responds to Trump’s claims about Venezuelan ties

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and city police announced arrests and addressed Donald Trump’s claim that a Venezuelan gang is “taking over.”

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After former President Donald Trump commented on a Venezuelan gang’s attack on a Colorado town during Tuesday’s debate, Aurora’s mayor and local police leadership announced several arrests and addressed the Republican presidential candidate’s claims.

Aurora police have arrested 10 suspected members of the Tren de Aragua, a major Venezuelan criminal organization, and charged them with various crimes, including first-degree assault, aggravated assault, shootings, hit-and-run, domestic disputes and other assault-related offenses, according to a police department Facebook post Wednesday.

The 10 suspects were all arrested following separate incidents in Aurora dating back to February, police said.

“Aurora Police are actively investigating reports that members of a Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua, are living in Aurora and committing acts of violence against members of the migrant community,” the social media post said.

Aurora is one of the major cities in the Denver metropolitan area and the third largest city in Colorado.

Trump mentions presence of Venezuelan gang in Aurora during ABC debate

The announcement of the arrests came weeks after rumors began swirling that the Venezuelan gang was “taking over” an apartment complex and forcing tenants to pay rent. Acting Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris said in a video shared on August 30 that The Edge at Lowry Apartments would not be “taken over” by the Tren de Aragua.

“We’ve talked to residents here and heard from them about what’s going on, and it definitely paints a different picture,” Morris said in the video. “I’m not saying there aren’t gang members in this community.”

Despite attempts by Morris and city officials to dispel the rumors, Trump still mentioned the gang’s presence in the city during the ABC News debate on Tuesday.

“Millions of people are pouring into our country from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and asylums,” Trump said. “…You see what’s happening in cities all across the United States. Look at Springfield, Ohio. Look at Aurora, Colorado. They’re taking over the cities. They’re taking over buildings. They’re forcibly entering. These are the people that (Vice President Kamala Harris) and (President Joe Biden) let into our country. And they’re destroying our country. They’re dangerous. They’re at the highest level of criminality.”

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman “wants to set the record straight”

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and Council Member and Chair of the Public Safety Committee Danielle Jurinsky released a statement Wednesday following the arrests and Trump’s comments.

“We wish to clarify the widely reported presence of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Aurora and throughout the city,” the statement said. “…The City’s duty is to ensure that it collects and presents factual, accurate and comprehensive information on all issues affecting the community. We reiterate that the safety and well-being of community members and visitors is of paramount importance to us and the City.”

Coffman and Jurinsky’s statement goes on to say that the city’s problems “occurred in a few select locations and did not apply to the city as a whole or large parts of it.”

“TdA has not ‘taken over’ the city,” the statement continued. “The exaggerated claims being spread on social media and by select news organizations are simply not true. Again, TdA’s presence in Aurora is limited to certain properties that the city has been addressing in various ways for months.”

“We are optimistic about public safety in our city”

City officials also pointed out that “long before concerns about TdA in Colorado gained national attention, (Aurora police) had arrested individuals for various criminal activities who suspected, but did not necessarily confirm, ties to TdA.”

“To date, APD has linked ten individuals to TdA and arrested eight of those individuals,” the statement said. “Two of the eight individuals arrested were involved in a shooting in July at one of the properties in the city where there were problems with TdA activities. In line with these arrests, we can now also confirm that these properties were significantly impacted by criminal activity, including TdA issues.”

Coffman and Jurinsky called the “criminal element” of this situation a “regional problem,” pointing to separate arrests made in Denver and Arapahoe County. The statement also mentioned the creation of a special task force comprised of Aurora police and other local and federal agencies to “address concerns about TdA and other criminal activity affecting our communities.”

“We are optimistic about public safety in our city,” the statement said. “We will continue to cultivate our identity as the most diverse city in Colorado and remain true to our commitment to arresting wrongdoers.”

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