Former President Donald Trump addressed a violent Venezuelan gang allegedly taking over apartment buildings in Aurora, Colorado, blasting “stupid” leaders who have allowed dangerous criminals to illegally enter the U.S.
Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky sounded the alarm earlier this week on Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, saying the group was taking control of apartment complexes in the city, which is just east of Denver. Video footage reported by Fox News on Thursday showed armed men walking through an Aurora apartment building and entering an apartment after knocking on the door with guns drawn.
Trump commented on the issue during his rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on Friday and warned that if illegal immigration is not addressed, what’s happening in Aurora will only be “the beginning.”
“You see what’s happening in Aurora, Colorado, today. Did you see this?” Trump asked his supporters. “Venezuelan gang members have taken over parts of the city. They’ve taken over apartment houses because these stupid people we have leading our country are allowing these people, these criminals to come into our country.”
“And we’re going to get them the hell out of here,” Trump added. “And this is just the beginning. Wait until you see what happens. Wait until you see what they’re doing.”
Local leaders, such as Jurinksy and Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, have blamed federal immigration policies and Denver’s sanctuary city policies for the migrant gang problem in Aurora. Around 40,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in Denver since December of 2022 thanks to the city’s policies and handouts.
“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,” Coffman 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.”
Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ office said the alleged gang takeover of Aurora apartments is “largely a feature of [Aurora City Councilwoman] Jurinsky’s imagination.” A spokeswoman for Polis said that “it’s illegal to take over buildings in Colorado,” adding that if Jurinsky has “knowledge” of such crimes taking place, Polis’ office is “ready to assist” police “in taking [the apartment buildings] back.”