Violent gang exploits US immigration policy

Six men have been arrested in connection with the takeover of multiple apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado by a violent Venezuelan gang.

The arrests come after videos of armed men breaking into an apartment building in the city went viral. The burglars filmed have been linked to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang notorious for smuggling and extorting migrants. It is unclear whether the men arrested are the ones depicted in the video.

Aurora Mayor Mike Cauffman said The Denver Gazette Aurora had lost control of Tren de Aragua, but the city claims it is working “aggressively” to regain it. Aurora police say they are “gathering evidence to show (the gang) is operating in the area.” A Tren de Aragua task force was formed in August with the Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Despite government agencies’ involvement in busting the gang, Colorado officials refuse to acknowledge its presence, let alone the extent to which state and federal immigration policies have contributed to the problem.

Mike Johnston, mayor of neighboring Denver, told Fox 31 that the Tren de Aragua takeover is unique to Aurora, despite the fact that his city has been home to more new migrants per capita than any other city in the country since 2022.

A spokesman for Governor Jared Polis said The New York Post The state would offer Aurora assistance if needed, but that “police information” indicated that “this alleged invasion is largely a product of the imagination (of some city council members).”

But the growing presence of Tren de Aragua is not imaginary and is not limited to Aurora.

The gang spreads out in and around popular sanctuaries and is protected by policies and practices that allow members to commit multiple offenses without being caught.

Both Americans and migrants are feeling the effects.

Why it’s important

Immigration enforcement too often feels like an abstract policy issue or a problem only for states at the border. It is not.

The evidence below shows that a brutal gang with a passionate hatred for women is taking advantage of our nation’s laxity in enforcing immigration laws. As a result, this gang has victimized Americans and American immigrants across the country.

Christians can reduce these high human costs by voting and encouraging law enforcement to enforce existing laws.

Aurora

Tren de Aragua controls at least three complexes in Aurora after allegedly chasing away apartment management and staff. Another property controlled by the gang has since been closed due to code violations, an investor in the condemned property told The New York Post The gang prevented the necessary improvements to keep the building open.

According to the investor, gang members went after vacant units, which they began renting to migrants seeking to extort money. John Fabbricatore, a former field director for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said gang members also threatened residents.

“The gangs force people to hand over their keys to them,” Government Gazette quotes Fabricattore. “They want access to their units because they need places to hide their weapons and drugs when the police show up.”

A couple living in a compromised building installed five different locks and a steel bar on their door. “We have to keep it that way so no one can kick the door in,” Cindy Romero explained to local news.

The Romeros moved out of the complex with the help of Aurora City Counselor Danielle Jurinsky. Jurinsky, an outspoken advocate for people “trapped” in besieged apartment complexes, expressed disappointment in Gov. Polis’ skeptical response.

“Is this also a figment of the Romeros’ imagination?” Jurinsky responded in an interview with Fox. “And the other resident that I helped get out of there, and the other residents that I’m still going to get out of there?”

Aragua trail

Tren de Aragua, or “Aragua Train,” began as a prison gang in Aragua, Venezuela. The group expanded into human trafficking in 2014, as millions fled the country due to economic and political unrest.

The Venezuelan exodus allowed Tren de Aragua to expand internationally. Now Robert Almonte, a former U.S. marshal in El Paso, Texas, says the gang controls much of the migration from Venezuela to the United States.

Tren de Aragua stands out for its brutality. Victor Revoredo, and director of intelligence for the Peruvian National Police, described the gang as “another level of brutality” for Reuters.

When members began causing chaos in New York earlier this year, After wrote:

The violent practices of (Tren de Aragua) have shocked even the most hardened people in South America, especially their willingness to kill women.

The gang makes money by luring women and girls into the sex trade. They charge exorbitant smuggling fees and other fake money-making schemes to push them into debt bondage, forcing them into prostitution if they can’t pay their debts.

The U.S. officially recognized Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization in July, acknowledging the “increasing threat it poses to American communities.” The U.S. Treasury Department press release reads in part:

Tren de Aragua uses its transnational networks to traffic people, particularly migrant women and girls, across borders for sex trafficking and debt bondage. When victims attempt to escape this exploitation, Tren de Aragua members often kill them and publicize their debts as a threat to others.

According to multiple sources, all three Aurora complexes controlled by the gang housed Venezuelan migrants.

Spread to the US

Like Polis and Johnston, some mainstream media have minimized the Tren de Aragua’s position in the United States. On July 11, Reuters wrote:

While some gang members may have entered the U.S., authorities have not yet seen evidence that Tren de Aragua has organized there…

A quick Google search proves that this conclusion is premature, if not entirely incorrect.

Cook County police began tracking Tren de Aragua’s presence in Chicago as early as October 2023, but evidence of the gang’s organization surfaced in New York in February.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) ordered the state National Guard to check incoming migrants for Tren de Aragua tattoos on Valentine’s Day. Police linked the gang to a series of cellphone robberies by men on motorcycles and an attack on two police officers.

Nine days later, Georgia police arrested Jose Ibarra for the murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley. Authorities believe Ibarra and his two brothers, all of whom entered the U.S. illegally, are members of Tren de Aragua.

In July, four members of Tren de Aragua robbed a jewelry store in Denver, allegedly beating and threatening to kill two female employees.

Lax enforcement

Aside from Tren de Aragua’s preference for safe cities, NYPD intelligence indicates that the gang has instructed its members to seek asylum in order to enter the U.S. Once inside, members clearly benefit from lax immigration enforcement.

To consider Jhonardy José Pacheco-Chirinoone of the suspected architects of the Aurora takeover.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents sent him to New York to await his immigration process after he entered the U.S. illegally in 2022. In June 2023, he landed in another state — at an ICE office in Colorado — where he was given a court date and released.

Five months later, Pacheco-Chirino and a few other members of Tren de Aragua nearly killed a man in the condemned apartment complex in Aurora, breaking the victim’s nose and upper jaw and giving him a concussion.

He was arrested in March 2024 and charged with assault, but he posted bail and missed his court date.

Pacheco-Chirino was jailed again in July after shooting at the same compound. A judge has ordered the gangster to be deported, but the After writes that it is unlikely that this will happen. Venezuela and the US do not have an extradition treaty.

Yohenry Brito also went to New York after illegally crossing the border in May 2023. He had two pending theft charges when police arrested him in February 2024 for assaulting two officers. Tren de Aragua member Brito was released on bail before being arrested again for robbing a Macy’s.

With a stern warning from the judge, Brito was released for the third time. He then robbed a Sephora — twice. As of August 12, Brito is being held on bail.

A judge has released Jean Franco Torres-Roman from Chicago police custody a month before he took part in an armed robbery of the Denver jewelry store. He was arrested for unlawful use of a weapon.

His fellow countryman, Oswaldo Lozada-Solishad previously been arrested for reckless endangerment in New York. He was reportedly in Atlanta awaiting his immigration processing with an ankle monitor, which he cut off just 200 days after entering America illegally in 2022.

Jose Ibarra was arrested twice before allegedly killing Laken Riley. He was wanted for skipping his shoplifting trial when Georgia police arrested him for the nursing student’s death.

America and its sanctuary cities have made themselves attractive places to commit crime. Tren de Aragua has every reason to gain a foothold here. Cities like Denver, New York, and Chicago can help deter transnational gang activity by cooperating with ICE and prosecuting crimes like theft. Until then, takeovers like the one in Aurora will continue to happen — and ordinary citizens will be stuck in a creek without a paddle.

For more information on the human costs of illegal immigration and lax immigration enforcement, please see the articles below.

Additional Articles and Resources

Illegal Immigrant Arrested for Murder of Maryland Mother

Debate over immigration labels obscures seriousness of Laken Riley’s death

Illegal immigrant to face trial in death of Texas teen, highlights violent trend

Fentanyl overdoses on the rise, linked to illegal immigration

Talking to Your Kids About Illegal Immigration

Family DNA testing at the southern border should not have stopped

The Border Crisis and the Deafening Silence of Women’s Groups