Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ office dismissed warnings of a violent gang taking over apartment buildings in Aurora, Colorado, telling The New York Post that the “purported invasion is largely a feature of [Aurora City Councilwoman] Danielle Jurinsky’s imagination.”
Jurinsky sounded the alarm earlier this week on Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, claiming the group was taking control of apartment complexes in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. Fox News reported video footage on Thursday showing armed men walking through an Aurora apartment building and entering an apartment after knocking on the door with guns drawn.
“The Governor has already let the Mayor know that the State is ready to support the local police department with assistance from state troopers and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if needed,” a spokeswoman for Polis told the Post. “But, according to police intelligence this purported invasion is largely a feature of Danielle Jurinsky’s imagination.”
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The spokeswoman added that “it’s illegal to take over buildings in Colorado” and said that if Jurinsky has “knowledge” of such crimes taking place, Polis’ office is “ready to assist” police “in taking [the apartment buildings] back.” She then cited statistics showing that “violent crime dropped in Aurora between 2022 and 2023.”
As Polis’ office downplays concerns about the alleged gang takeover of Aurora apartments, Aurora Republican Mayor Mike Coffman told Fox News on Thursday that Venezuelan gangs are controlling at least two apartment buildings in the city.
“This is an organized criminal effort. Whether it’s trend, a drug war, that remains to be seen,” he said.
“Somebody put them there and somebody funded it, whether it’s federal government or not, we’re trying to find out who, these gangs apparently, or attracted to where there’s a concentration of, of, Venezuelan migrants. And so, they’ve, in fact, have kind of pushed out the property management through intimidation and then, collected the rents,” the mayor added.
NEW VIDEO armed group at troubled #aurora #colorado apartment complex now home to many migrants. Councilmember @DaniJurinsky says gangs have taken over the complex @KDVR @AuroraPD pic.twitter.com/J1uie8Y2M6
— Vicente Arenas (@vicentearenastv) August 28, 2024
A resident at one Aurora apartment complex also backed up Jurinsky’s claims, telling Fox News, “This is organized. They patrol the property with guns visibly, like they’re not trying to hide them. There’s no repercussion. These are ghosts.” The resident, who reportedly moved out on Wednesday due to the gang activity, added that gang members are dealing drugs in the building.
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Coffman blamed federal immigration policy and Denver’s sanctuary city policies for the increased presence of migrant gangs in Aurora.
“You’ve had these massive waves of migrants coming across the border that many of them crossed the border illegally, were arrested, asked for political asylum, were not adequately vetted, were released into the country, [into] the city of Aurora,” he said. “We did everything we could to, quite frankly, keep them … out of the city because it’s not our problem. This is a federal problem.”
