They deny that the Aragua Train has taken over buildings in Denver

• Aurora Police Department (APD) interim Chief Heather Morris said gang members have not taken over The Edge of Lowry Apartments | Photo: The Denver Post

Police departments in the Denver metropolitan area in Colorado have denied that gang members from the transnational Tren de Aragua gang have taken over buildings. Although they acknowledge that this criminal organization, which was created in Venezuelan prisons, does have a presence there.

Aurora Police Department (APD) interim chief Heather Morris told reporters that “gang members have not taken over” The Edge of Lowry apartments, located on the border between Aurora and Denver.

Aurora Police Department (APD) Interim Chief Heather Morris. Photo: Denver Gazette

“I’m not saying there aren’t gang members who don’t live in this community,” Morris said.

He stressed that APD “made an effort” over the past few days to “make sure that people are not paying rent to gang leaders or members.”

The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) said it agrees with these versions of the authorities.

“Police, officials and residents of the apartment complex themselves have denied these false stories, and we believe it is irresponsible to promote them,” Gladis Ibarra, co-executive director of CIRC, said in a statement.

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“This type of fear only creates a more dangerous environment, opening the door to hate and racism attacks against the immigrant community,” he said.

🚨BREAKING: Newly released video shows armed gang of Venezuelan illegals take over apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.

Aurora, a quiet community with a population of 390,000 has become a base of operations for the brutal Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which already has… pic.twitter.com/mNW8FF5mXa

— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) August 28, 2024

Investigating threats

Other community groups are seeking additional information on the case of an immigrant woman who, on the night of Saturday into Sunday, received threats against her and her teenage son in front of her home, allegedly from gang members of the Tren de Aragua, suggesting that she sleep “with her eyes open.”

Community leader Yaeel Duarte told EFE that she feels “impotent” due to the lack of public safety in the city of Aurora, and said that “this mother must be protected, she and all the families who are under attack and threats.”

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said on social media that local judges are “already preparing emergency orders” to allow police to “take back control of the situation” so that “this doesn’t happen again.”

At the same time, APD is “gathering evidence” of “criminal activity in the area” (which it described as “isolated”) apparently connected to the Aragua Train.

They seek a joint response

On August 28, the Denver Police Department claimed to have “no knowledge” of Venezuelan gang members threatening residents of local apartments. Although it confirmed that “members of that gang have committed crimes in the area,” including a violent robbery of a Mexican jewelry store last July.

Several Latino organizations in Aurora called for a community meeting this week, and on Saturday, September 7, there will be a meeting of Latino religious leaders from that city who seek to coordinate a joint response to the current situation.

Last month, Colorado authorities, along with federal authorities, announced the creation of a “task force” that seeks to identify and arrest members of the gang, which has been operating for months in the Denver metropolitan area.

With information from EFE

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