The story: Former President Donald Trump made apparent reference to Venezuelan gang activity in Aurora during Tuesday night's presidential debate, using the situation in Aurora to paint a dire picture of the American immigration system.
Our promise to you: Denver7 is adding necessary context to the former president's claims, including new information on gang activity in Aurora, a response to the comments from city leaders in Aurora and background on how the situation has unfolded over the last several weeks.
It was only a matter of minutes before immigration – and specifically reports of Venezuelan gang activity in Aurora – became a focal point of Tuesday night's presidential debate.
Former president Donald Trump mentioned Aurora in his opening statement.
"We have millions of people pouring into our country from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums," he said. "They're coming in and they're taking jobs that are occupied right now by African Americans and Hispanics and also unions... You see what's happening with towns throughout the United States. You look at Springfield, Ohio. You look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over the towns. They're taking over buildings. They're going in violently. 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."
The presence of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Aurora has gained regional and national attention in recent weeks as rumors swirled online about gang members overtaking apartment complexes in the city. Those rumors were fueled by a video that gained viral attention showing armed men knocking on an apartment door. The individuals in that video have not been confirmed as members of TdA.
The former president's comments piqued the interest of internet users. According to Google Trends data shared Tuesday night, search interest in Aurora, Colo. reached a 12-year high during the debate.
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We asked Aurora's mayor, Mike Coffman, about Trump's claims and another wave of national attention on the city. He said the situation in Aurora has been blown out of proportion.
"There's no question there have been some issues, but it's been so dramatically exaggerated that it’s the entire city being overrun by criminal or gang activity," Coffman told Denver7. "That couldn’t be further from the truth."
City officials in Aurora on Wednesday released a joint statement in response, too.
"As for the perception and reality of public safety in Aurora, please understand that issues experienced at a select few properties do not apply to the city as a whole or large portions of it," read a joint statement by Aurora's mayor, city manager, public safety chair and police department. "TdA has not 'taken over' the city. The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true."
The statement went on to mention a special task force recently created to address concerns over Venezuelan gangs and other criminal activity in Aurora as well as in Denver and Arapahoe County.
"We are optimistic about public safety in our city," the statement read.
Denver7 has reported extensively on the situation in Aurora, including purported TdA activity as well as speaking with residents of the troubled apartment and condo complexes most affected by gang activity.
Here's what we know about Tren de Aragua in Aurora
Police in Aurora have identified at least 10 documented members of TdA, and arrested 9 of them. The arrests stem from various incidents over at least the last 10 months. You can read about those arrests near the bottom of this page.
At least six incidents tied to those suspects took place at two apartment buildings: Whispering Pines condominiums and Fitzsimons Place apartments, both of which are owned by an out-of-state landlord, CBZ Management.
Fitzsimons Place was closed last month due to code violations. The landlord blamed poor living conditions on Venezuelan gang activity, while residents alleged years of neglect.
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The claims that TdA has taken over apartment complexes in the city have not been substantiated. Those claims are also not new, having apparently been made by gang members themselves months ago.
In an arrest affidavit from March that stemmed from an incident in November of 2023 at Fitzsimons Place, the wife of an alleged assault victim told police that the suspect, now-documented TdA member Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos, is "part of a gang that [...] believes they own the apartment complex."
Despite documented crime activity by members of TdA in Aurora, police tell Denver7 that crime is down 17% year over year across seven major crime categories.
"I think the impression nationally, given the debate [Tuesday] night, is that the buildings are still under the control [of gangs] and the city is too, and neither is true," Coffman said Wednesday. "The overreaction has created a hysteria in terms of what is true, what is not true. I think its important to set the record straight."
Coffman previously insinuated that gang members had taken control of apartment complexes in the city, but walked back those comments in a one-on-one interview with Denver7 earlier this month.
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"I thought that the people who were the so-called gang members were extracting the rent from them, but the people that came up to me said that was not the case," he said. "They wanted to stay there, but they wanted the place maintained.”
Denver7 asked Coffman if he had confirmed any TdA activity near the apartment complexes.
“I think the view is kind of mixed on that. Quite frankly, that part is not relevant to me," Coffman said. "Now, the DEA has confirmed to me that there are Tren de Aragua elements that are involved in fentanyl distribution in and around this area that is of deep concern to me.”
Coffman, who has documented several recent visits to the apartment complexes in question on his social media accounts, said his goal is to ultimately eliminate any kind of organized crime within the city, regardless of gang affiliation.
- Watch Denver7's one-on-one interview with Coffman in the video player below: