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By Hannah Davis
FAIR

The infiltration of Tren de Aragua in Aurora, Colorado continues to spark national debate. Presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Vice-Presidential running mate, JD Vance, have repeatedly warned Americans about the violent Venezuelan gang, at one point calling Aurora a “war zone.” However, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman (R) claims that reports of criminal activity are “grossly exaggerated” and harmful to residents’ sense of safety. While local media and public officials try to moderate the discussion surrounding Tren de Aragua, angry residents are speaking up and Aurora’s police department has arrested numerous individuals directly connected to the gang, appearing to corroborate claims that the gang has infiltrated the city.

Earlier in the year, surveillance footage from an Aurora apartment complex captured a break-in where masked men wielding assault rifles, allegedly members of Tren de Aragua, kicked down doors and entered a resident’s home. This footage went viral, and, at an October 11 rally in Aurora, Trump connected the influx of Tren de Aragua gang members to the Biden-Harris administration’s open borders policies. He then announced his plan, “Operation Aurora,” stating, “We will send elite squads of ICE, Border Patrol and federal law enforcement officers to hunt down, arrest and deport every last illegal alien gang member until there is not a single one left in this country.”

In response to Trump’s promise to deport gang members, Colorado Governor Jared Polis claimed that “President Trump doesn’t seem or care who he hurts with his words and his rhetoric or the consequences of what he says.” But recent actions by the Aurora Police Department (APD) indicate the city has indeed been infiltrated by Tren de Aragua members. The APD recently announced the arrest of eight men directly tied to Tren de Aragua. While the men arrested were not in the viral video, the arrests bolster Trump’s claims that the gang is active in Aurora. According to the police statement, the charges against the gang members are severe and include aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft, illegal discharge of a firearm, kidnapping, menacing, aggravated robbery, first-degree burglary, child abuse, criminal mischief, domestic violence, and attempted first-degree murder.

Despite these developments, the seriousness of the situation continues to be contested. In a recent interview with ABC News, reporter Martha Raddatz questioned Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance about the extent of Tren de Aragua’s influence in Aurora. Raddatz questioned the notion that Tren de Aragua had a massive stronghold on Aurora, claiming that only “a handful of apartment complexes” were affected. In response, Vance quipped back, “Martha, do you hear yourself? Only a handful of apartment complexes in America were taken over by Venezuelan gangs?”

For those directly affected, however, the threat is all too real. Cindy Romero, a former resident of the Aurora apartment complex featured in the viral video, shared her frustration with FOX News Digital, “I feel like it’s a slap in the face. How many gangs is okay to have in Aurora? How many properties is okay to take over? How many people, who are citizens paying their bills, is it okay to displace? I feel like the mayor and the governor all downplay the situation. I was pushed out of my apartment by gang activity, people carrying guns in the hallway and patrolling the grounds with guns.”

CBZ Management, the company that owns the now-viral apartment complexes in Aurora, echoed Romero’s concerns. The company criticized local authorities for their slow response, claiming that gang members have taken over their complexes, even reporting that a building manager was viciously attacked after refusing to take a $500 bribe from gang members. The company wrote, “Gangs have taken control of our properties in Aurora, Colorado. In an attempt to discredit this fact for political purposes and avoid governmental accountability, some have spread false information about our situation.”

Regardless of the narrative, one thing remains clear. The Biden-Harris administration’s open-border policies, coupled with Colorado’s sanctuary policies, have allowed criminal activity, to flourish. Sadly, a FAIR-supported effort to rescind the state’s sanctuary law was unsuccessful in the Colorado legislature this year. Now Coloradans must pay the price for the Biden-Harris administration’s open-borders policies.

Author: FAIR

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