An apartment complex falsely claimed to have been taken over by a Venezuelan gang in Aurora, Colorado on Oct. 10.Nathan Frandino/Reuters
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The mayor and police in Aurora, Colo., have rejected claims that a violent international gang has taken over the city.
Claims by the management company of a decrepit apartment complex in the city have been conflated with video that appeared to show armed men in the complex. Police comments about the gang, known as Tren de Aragua, have since been misrepresented to falsely suggest Aurora is under gang control.
What is Tren de Aragua?
Tren de Aragua formed at a notorious Venezuelan prison and has spread north through South America. It is now active in the United States. The gang was founded between 2009 and 2010 and is estimated to have more than 5,000 members.
The U.S. Treasury Department declared the gang a transnational criminal organization in July. The agency said the gang is responsible for human smuggling, illegal mining, kidnapping, human trafficking, extortion and drug trafficking. Police in San Antonio, Tex. said four of 19 people arrested in a recent raid were gang members.
Soldiers raid the Tocoron prison in Venezuela where the Tren de Aragua gang originated on Sept. 20, 2023.Ariana Cubillos/The Associated Press
Building owner claims gang involvement
The initial source of claims that Tren de Aragua had taken over an Aurora apartment complex appears to be the complex’s owner, CBZ Management. Local media has reported on long-standing building code violations and attempts by the city to hold the management company responsible for years of neglect.
Aurora police have said CBZ Management was attempting to “fabricate alternative narratives” about gangs at their property. But police have also acknowledged that “components” of the gang “are operating in Aurora.”
Surveillance video goes viral
Cindy Romero, a resident of a complex operated by CBZ Management, captured surveillance camera footage in August of armed men entering a neighbour’s apartment. CBS News reported that Ms. Romero’s complaints about the lack of police response were taken up by local councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky.
The surveillance video was posted to X on Aug. 28 with the claim, “An armed illegal immigrant gang has reportedly taken over” the Aurora apartment complex. No evidence was included in the post to support this claim or to link the men in the video to Tren de Aragua.
Screenshot of a post on X of surveillance video captured by Cindy Romero, linking the incident without evidence to an international gang.X
The claims were amplified by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Sept. 10 presidential debate with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Mr. Trump said, “You look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over the towns. They’re taking over buildings.”
Mayor and police respond to ‘grossly exaggerated’ claims
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman on Sept. 12, 2024.MICHAEL CIAGLO/The New York Times News Service
Mike Coffman, the Republican Mayor of Aurora, and Ms. Jurinsky, the local councilwoman, released a statement on Sept. 11 addressing the issue. “The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true,” they said.
Mr. Coffman posted another statement on Facebook on Oct. 8, days before Mr. Trump held a rally in the city on Oct. 11.
“Former President Trump’s visit to Aurora is an opportunity to show him and the nation that Aurora is a considerably safe city – not a city overrun by Venezuelan gangs,” the statement said. “My public offer to show him our community and meet with our police chief for a briefing still stands. The reality is that the concerns about Venezuelan gang activity have been grossly exaggerated. The incidents were limited to several apartment complexes in this city of more than 400,000 residents.”
The Aurora Police detective investigating the incident captured in the surveillance video said on Sept. 20, “At this time, we do not have any evidence that leads us to believe or point to any of these individuals being part of any gang.”
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain has acknowledged the presence of gangs in Aurora but says the city has not been “taken over by TdA or any other gang.” Local police have reportedly identified 10 Tren de Aragua members active in the city and arrested nine of them.