The municipality of Aurora, Colo., is taking action against Venezuelan gang members by declaring the apartment buildings that they overtook this month a “criminal nuisance.”
Following the release of a viral video showing the armed gang members entering an apartment complex, Aurora mayor Mike Coffman announced on Friday that city officials are working to draft up emergency court-ordered evictions.
“This will require a municipal judge to issue the order with the goal of getting these properties back under the control of the property owners,” Coffman posted on Facebook. “In the meantime, the law enforcement task force set up to disrupt and arrest Venezuelan gang members in these buildings will continue its operations.”
Surveillance cameras caught footage of the August 18 incident, in which multiple armed men reportedly belonging to violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua broke into apartment units and forced tenants out. Residents could hear gunshots during the armed takeover. Video of the gang’s illegal activities surfaced this week, bringing national media attention to the Denver suburb and prompting local officials to respond.
On Thursday, Coffman labeled the incident part of an “organized criminal effort” but stopped short of blaming Tren de Aragua due to the developing situation. “Whether it’s Tren de Aragua, that remains to be seen,” he said on Fox News. “But it really doesn’t matter. I mean, if they’re Venezuelan migrants in there conducting crime in an organized way they’re a problem.”
Reports suggest Tren de Aragua is the culprit, citing Department of Homeland Security sources. The prison gang is believed to be behind a surge in kidnappings, extortion, and the trafficking of illegal drugs linked to illegal immigrants from Central and South America.
At least three apartment complexes in Aurora have been terrorized by armed men. While their motive behind the takeover remains unclear, there is a common pattern: All three complexes are owned by the same company, CBZ Management.
Coffman admitted Aurora “lost control” of the gang infiltration “and we’re working aggressively to get it back.” However, he did push back on the national media’s portrayal of the situation.
“The misrepresentation that all of Aurora has this problem is simply not true and it gives this city a black eye unjustifiably,” the Republican mayor told the Denver Gazette. “Arrests have been made. More arrests will be made.”
At least one arrest of a Tren de Aragua member has been made in the past month, the Aurora Police Department and the City of Aurora confirmed in a statement to National Review. The man, dubbed the “Cookie Monster,” was apprehended in connection to a shooting on July 28. He has remained in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement since that date.
While Coffman has been working to handle the situation, Colorado governor Jared Polis has been subtly undermining the city’s efforts. In a statement to the New York Post on Thursday, the Democratic governor dismissed the incident as a figment of a Republican city councilmember’s “imagination,” despite video footage and the Aurora mayor’s confirmation proving otherwise.
Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump vowed to deport the Venezuelan gang members out of the U.S. if he’s reelected. “We’re going to get them the hell out of here,” he said at a Pennsylvania rally on Friday.