Aurora, Colorado ‘flooded’ by Venezuelan gangs

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Friday that a Colorado town was overrun by Venezuelan gang members after a video from an apartment building went viral — and the state governor’s office said Newsweek is ready to help in this matter.

The comments, made at a rally, came after Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said Thursday that two apartment buildings had been occupied by migrants.

“This is organized criminal activity. Whether this is a trend or the war on drugs remains to be seen,” Coffman told Fox News after footage of armed gang members went viral.

On Friday, the city announced it would seek a court order to vacate the apartments, deeming them a “nuisance to the neighborhood.”

The troublesome criminal group is believed to be the Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua (TdA), which operated in the area.

The footage shows men armed with assault rifles breaking down the door of an apartment in the city.

The Aurora Police Department announced Thursday the creation of a special task force to address problems related to Venezuelan gangs and other migrant-related criminal activity in the area.

“We are aware that elements of the TdA are operating in Aurora. APD is gathering increasing evidence to show that the gang is connected to crimes in that area,” the department said.

According to the U.S. State Department, TdA began as a prison gang in Aragua, Venezuela, but has expanded rapidly in recent years, focusing on human trafficking and other abuses against desperate migrants.

The gang is accused of trafficking women and girls for sexual exploitation, and if they try to escape, they are killed.

Members of the group are now allegedly operating in Aurora, and the mayor blames federal policies for allowing it to unfold — a notion supported by Donald Trump.

“These stupid people who run our country allow these people, these criminals, to come into our country and we need to get them out,” Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania on Friday.

Aurora police said they believed TdA’s influence was limited to the buildings in question, adding that they were working with federal and state partners, including the DEA.

Newsweek reached out to the DEA for further comment on Friday, citing comments about the Denver 7 made by Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the Rocky Mountain Division field office.

“It is not appropriate for DEA to make any additional comments regarding the organization’s role or presence in the region due to ongoing, active investigative work by our agents and law enforcement partners,” Pullen said.

Mayor Coffman wrote on Facebook Friday that the city is waiting for a city judge to issue a court order, which would then return control of the properties to the owners.

“The problems related to Venezuelan gang activity are limited to properties that are owned by the same individuals from outside the state, and whose problems with code violations and criminal activity preceded the migration crisis,” the mayor said.

“I truly believe the best solution is to close these buildings and make sure this never happens again.”

Denver Newspaper reported that, according to accounts from building residents, the real managers disappeared when the violence broke out.

In an interview with Fox News earlier this week, the mayor, a Republican, said the gang’s presence is a result of “failed policies” on the Southwest border as well as the city’s proximity to Denver, a gang haven.

Newsweek reached out to the mayor’s office on Friday for further comment, as well as to the building’s management company, CBZ Management.

A spokesman for Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said: Newsweek on Friday that the state had been “ready for weeks” to support any police operation to tackle the problem.

“Colorado is a state with zero tolerance for illegal activity, and taking over buildings has no place here. The governor believes the city of Aurora shares this core value and will enforce the law,” the spokesman said.

“Over the past month, Governor Polis has been in regular contact with the City of Aurora and the Aurora Police Department and has offered any assistance from the state to support their efforts if requested.”

In July, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on the gang while offering a $12 million reward for information leading to the capture and/or conviction of multiple leaders of the group.

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