Colorado Governor Jared Polis dismissed concerns over the Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan gang, reportedly taking over apartment buildings in Aurora, a Denver suburb. Despite video evidence and police reports confirming the gang’s presence in the area, Polis dismissed it as mere imagination. His press office offered a snarky statement in response to Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky, who claimed the gang’s takeovers were tied to Polis’ policies.
Governor Polis has pledged support for local law enforcement with assistance from state troopers and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if necessary. However, his spokesperson Shelby Wieman downplayed the situation, suggesting it was an issue of Councilwoman Jurinsky’s imagination.
Wieman also emphasized that taking over buildings is illegal in Colorado and offered assistance to help law enforcement take back any buildings if they have evidence of such activity. She added that violent crime had dropped in Aurora between 2022 and 2023.
Despite the governor’s claims, there is clear evidence of the gang’s presence. Fox Denver aired surveillance footage showing an armed group of men, later confirmed as suspected members of Tren de Aragua, entering an apartment complex in Aurora that residents said was overrun by the gang. The video also showed them breaking into a unit shortly before a shootout took place at the complex that left one person severely injured.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman also confirmed the takeover of several buildings by Venezuelan gangs, which he believes were used as taxpayer-funded migrant housing. Denver, a sanctuary city just west of Aurora, has received more migrants per capita than any city in the country since December 2022, with over 40,000 arriving in that timeframe.
The Post asked Polis’ office if they intend to backtrack their statement given the evidence of Tren de Aragua’s takeover, to which Wieman reiterated the governor’s commitment to supporting law enforcement efforts and his belief in the continued decrease of violent crime. The Post had previously identified the area’s “shot-caller” Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirino as a member of Tren de Aragua involved in an assault case at an apartment complex in Aurora.
The apartment investor stated that they have lost control of several properties due to the gang taking over vacant units. In July, Pacheco-Chirino was arrested for a shooting at the same complex where two men were wounded.
Despite these incidents, Governor Polis continues to embrace sanctuary policies for Colorado and has recently signed legislation supporting migrants’ lives in the state by making it easier for them to obtain driver’s licenses, attend school, and access taxpayer-funded resources. The governor also made the decision to start busing migrants to New York City in 2023 through a program that has since ended.
The Tren de Aragua gang, originating from Venezuela’s Aragua region, has been sending its members across the US-Mexico border and expanding recruitment within the US among migrant communities in cities like New York, Denver, and Chicago. The Biden administration recently designated the gang as a transnational criminal organization.
