Migrant gang expands takeover of American city
A violent Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua continues to advance its takeover of Denver, Colorado.
Tren de Aragua gang members have placed parts of the Denver suburb of Aurora under its brutal control. Armed squads have taken over entire apartment buildings by intimidating residents and subjecting people to beatings and threats.
The gang gained media attention earlier this year after one of its members allegedly murdered Laken Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia. José Antonio Ibarra, who illegally entered the United States in 2022, has been charged with Riley’s murder.
Tren de Aragua maintains a presence across the United States. It runs sex and drug trafficking rings, along with money laundering and other criminal enterprises. These operations have now taken root in Aurora as the group continues to seize control.
‘Nothing is being done to help the American citizens that are being trapped’
Aurora City Council Member Danielle Jurinsky told Fox News Wednesday that once the gang chases residents out of their homes, it then sells those living spaces to Venezuelan families.
“We currently have entire complexes under gang control — complexes where staff have been beaten up, they’ve been threatened, their families have been threatened [and] complexes where there are no staff left on the property. These complexes are being run by this Tren de Aragua gang,” Jurinsky said.
“They start brokering apartments themselves when someone leaves out of fear or whatever. They go in and take pictures of the apartment themselves,” she continued. “Then, I’ve been told, within hours, a Venezuelan family moves in.”
There are no indications that the gang intends to stop its advance, which observers blame on Denver’s radical sanctuary city policies. The Leftist stronghold has seen over 40,000 migrants swarm into the city since 2022.
"Parts of the city are absolutely under this gang control. The local media is downplaying this," Jurinsky said. "I believe politics is being played with people's lives . . . Nothing is being done to help the American citizens that are being trapped under this gang's control.”
Deputy police chief: Venezuelan gangs not ‘a big safety concern’
Jurinsky’s version of events is not shared by everybody, however. Earlier this month, Aurora Police Department Acting Deputy Police Chief Chris Juul dismissed concerns about Tren de Aragua.
“I don't think Venezuelan gangs are a big safety concern in the city of Aurora,” said Juul.
‘I don’t want to live here anymore’
Denver residents have taken to social media to describe events on the ground, which appear to corroborate Jurinsky’s statements.
“Everywhere you look, everywhere you turn in this stupid city of Denver, it’s all illegal immigrants at this point,” complained one resident, who said Denver’s police presence is dwindling due to threats from gangs. “It’s dangerous for them to be out right now,” she explained. “Especially with these illegal immigrant gangs . . . they’ve put hits out on police officers in the city and county of Denver. Why nobody talks about that, I don’t know. But that’s real. It’s happening. It’s legitimately happening.”
“I don’t want to live here anymore,” she added.
