The presence of the armed Venezuela Gang Tren de Aragua at an apartment complex on Dallas Street has residents of Aurora unsettled and seeking help from the police.
On August 28, a video was released online and it allegedly featured some members of the gang holding weapons, such as rifles and handguns, and forcing their way into an apartment unit of a complex called The Edge at Lowry.
Residents of Aurora claim that most other complexes that are home to migrants have been taken over by the Venezuela gang Tren de Aragua. However, these claims have not yet been confirmed by the police.
According to Interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris on Sunday, the police have been “talking to the residents here and learning from them to find out what exactly is going on.”
“There’s definitely a different picture. I’m not saying that there’s not gang members that don’t live in this community, but what we’re learning out here is that gang members have not taken over this complex,” Morris added.
The Colorado Governor Jared Polis has also posted a statement on Facebook which reads:
“Colorado is a zero tolerance state for illegal activity, taking over buildings has no place in Colorado, and I am confident that the city of Aurora shares this basic value and will enforce the law if it is being violated there. I urge them to do so quickly and in a thorough manner.”
He continued, “Over the last month, I have been in regular contact with the City of Aurora and the Aurora Police Department and have offered any and all state assistance to support their efforts if requested. The state has been ready for weeks to back up any operation by the Aurora Police Department needed to make Aurora safer.”
Aurora residents are hoping that the gang activity they witnessed will come to an end soon and that the reputation of the migrants in the area won’t get tarnished by it.
Just last month, a member of the Venezuela gang Tren de Aragua, Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirino, was arrested after a shooting incident in a Street in Aurora. It is reported that the gang member is still in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
