‘Simply not true’: Aurora leaders dispute claims Venezuelan gang has ‘taken over’ city

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — The city of Aurora is “putting the finishing touches” following Tuesday night’s presidential debate.

Former President Donald Trump said violent immigrants are taking over the city. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky say there are problems, but they are being blown out of proportion.

Jurinsky said she appreciates all the attention that has been given to the issue of Tren de Aragua’s presence in Aurora, but the former president throwing Aurora out during the biggest political event makes it seem like the entire city has gang problems. She said that is absolutely not the case.

“Just look at Aurora, Colorado,” Trump said during Tuesday night’s debate in response to a question about the country’s economic health. “They’re taking over the cities. They’re taking over the buildings. They’re going in with violence.”

Trump’s words prompted a collective response from Aurora city leaders.

“Listen, if the whole town had been taken over, I would have left with my family,” Jurinsky said. “The whole town of Aurora was not taken over.”

Edward Romero shared this video of armed men knocking on the door of his apartment complex in Aurora.

City leaders: Gang problems limited to 2 complexes

After videos of men with guns in an apartment complex went viral, Coffman and police said they were “isolated incidents” in two buildings in a small part of the city.

FOX31 asked Jurinsky, who has been outspoken about the gang problems, what her message would be to people who feel she is “backtracking” on previous statements she has made on the issue.

“There’s no such thing. I never said that,” Jurinsky said. “I’ve always been very specific about certain apartment complexes. It’s unfortunate because what happened is that certain media outlets put that out there.”

She said she felt things could have been handled differently.

“I think it could have been different if people had put their political agendas aside and maybe just listened to what I was saying,” she said. “I physically went into one of these buildings and pulled the residents out. I was chosen to be the voice of these people, Aurorans, and so that was the capacity that I acted in.”

Aurora police identify ten Tren de Aragua members

A joint statement said Aurora police arrested people for various criminal activities, suspecting (but not necessarily confirming) their involvement with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

So far, police say they have linked 10 people to the TdA and have arrested eight of them. Two of them were arrested in connection with a July shooting at one of the specific properties where there were problems with TdA activities.

In line with these arrests, city officials now confirm that criminal activity issues have had a significant impact on these properties.

“I think there have been a lot of difficult conversations over the last few weeks. There is a lot of irrefutable evidence and I think it is difficult to say that you have a problem in your city,” Jurinsky said.

Aurora Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky and Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman (KDVR Comp)

Jurinsky: ‘This is not just an Aurora issue’

Other prominent Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, have alleged that gangs are taking over. She said in a statement: “The crux of the matter is that illegal Venezuelan gangs are terrorizing Colorado residents in apartment complexes and around various communities. President Trump correctly identified the problem and I am glad it was a focus of last night’s presidential debate.”

Meanwhile, Jurinsky wants to reassure people in Aurora that the people causing terror are only a small fraction of those crossing the U.S. southern border.

“Small in numbers but mighty in power, and we see that, the police see that, the people see that,” Jurinsky said. “This is not just an Aurora problem. This is absolutely nationwide. We’re seeing more and more cities coming in daily with reports of Tren de Aragua in their cities. I’m hoping that Aurora has its whole situation mapped out and is shedding light on the problem and exposing the Tren de Aragua gang, and that federal partners will now step in and help.”

The statement said arrests have recently been made in Denver and Arapahoe County.

For this reason, a special task force was created in conjunction with Aurora and other local partners at the state and federal level to address concerns about TdA and other criminal activity impacting the community.