Aurora Police Deny in Press Conference That Tren Aragua Gang Has ‘Took Over’ City: ‘Not an Immigration Problem’

Aurora police held a news conference Friday after surveillance footage of a group of armed men in an apartment building last month drew national attention.

In the press conference, APD Chief Todd Chamberlain said that three of the armed suspect Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members in the video have warrants for their arrest on charges of first-degree burglary and battery with a firearm. Three others in the video are unidentifiable.

Aurora police are still actively searching for Andersen Zambrano-Pacheco, 25, and Niefred Serpa-Acosta, 20. Naudi Lopez-Fernandez, 21, is in custody.

AURORA PD ARRESTS 10 MEMBERS OF TREN DE ARAGUA IN CONNECTION WITH APARTMENT BUILDINGS TAKEOVERS: STATEMENT

Chief Chamberlain said it was a “challenge” to verify gang affiliation with suspected Tren de Aragua members. Tren de Aragua, a transnational prison gang based in Venezuela, has about 5,000 members.

“A lot of these individuals that we’re talking about come from a country that doesn’t have strong relations with the United States, come from a country that doesn’t have a database that they’re going to share or haven’t shared,” Chamberlain said. “So it’s been a struggle to actually identify these individuals as TdA gang members.

“At this time, none of the six men (in the video) have any ties to any organized criminal organization,” reads an Aurora Police Department statement provided to X.

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain provided updates on the arrests of suspected Tren de Aragua members captured on surveillance footage at an apartment building last month. (@AuroraPD via X)

Chamberlain also stressed during the conference that the Aurora PD’s focus is on criminal behavior. Earlier this month, Aurora announced the arrest of 10 “documented” Tren de Aragua members. Charges from those arrests include child abuse, attempted first-degree murder, illegal discharge of a firearm and more.

“The Aurora Police Department targets criminals based on their actions and not their immigration status,” Chamberlain said. “Immigration status is enforced by federal law, by federal issues.”

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On September 5, ICE confirmed to Fox News that four members of Tren de Aragua, who were arrested in Aurora in connection with a July shooting, were in the United States illegally from Venezuela.

Aurora City Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky stresses that the city needs more help from the federal government to address the problem.

Aurora police held a press conference on Friday to inform the public of a series of arrests of suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang. (@AuroraPD via X)

“Immigration is the federal government’s job and we need help,” Jurinsky said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital.

“Our ICE detention facility is filling up, now what? Venezuela can’t just decide after emptying their prisons that they’re not going to take anyone back. The federal government has to come up with a plan,” Jurinsky added.

“This is not an immigration issue. It’s a crime issue,” Chief Chamberlain said during the press conference. “That’s for the federal (government). The immigration aspect is for the federal government, it’s what they’re focused on. It’s what they’ve done. It’s what comes out of the federal government. It comes out of the White House.”

During Friday’s press conference, Aurora police indicated that they need more help from the federal government to address the crime problem in Tren de Aragua. (@AuroraPD via X)

Since the start of the Biden administration, there have been nearly 8 million meetings with illegal aliens on the southwest border, the House Committee on Homeland Security said.

Fox News’ Alicia Acuna asked Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain during Friday’s press conference about the popular narrative that gangs have “taken over” the city.

“I can tell you right now that gangs do not own the city of Aurora,” Chamberlain responded. “If you walk away with something, I’ll tell you. Are there gangs in the city of Aurora? Yes. There are. Are there gangs in most major cities in the United States? 100% there are.”

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Aurora police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.