During the final presidential debate, former President Donald Trump portrayed a grim scenario of American towns being overwhelmed by violent outsiders. He referenced specific cities like Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado.
The former president alleged that “illegal” immigrants were entering the country and committing violent crimes. When mentioning Aurora, he was specifically alluding to reports of a Venezuelan gang allegedly taking control of an apartment complex in the city.
During the historic debate that took place on Sept. 10, Trump made reference to Venezuelan gang activity in Aurora, Colorado. This quickly put a spotlight on the city, drawing national attention to the city’s issues of immigration.
Shortly after the debate, Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert weighed in, tweeting, “President Trump is CORRECT! Illegal criminal gangs are taking over parts of Aurora, Colorado. We must MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!”
But both the Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, and the Mayor of Aurora, Mike Coffman, have denied these claims. The Head of Police, Todd Chamberlain, has stated that, “the gang’s presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties, and that they have been addressing the problem for months.” While some apartment complexes might have experienced a rise in crime, no property has been “taken over.”
The claim that Venezuelan gangs are taking over Aurora is largely overstated, and is being used as a political talking point to stoke fears around immigration and public safety.
Of the very few Venezuelan gang members in Aurora, most of them have been captured by the police, and none of them have “taken over” apartment complexes.
The Aurora Police Department (APD) is actively working to address concerns of gang activity in the area surrounding the apartment complex on East Colfax Avenue and Nome Street. While the city of Aurora acknowledges the possibility of gang presence, their immediate focus is on the property’s uninhabitable conditions.
Additionally, the APD is coordinating with other law enforcement agencies to determine if there is any connection between local criminal activity and Venezuelan gangs, but this investigation is separate from the city’s ongoing enforcement actions concerning the building’s violations.
These types of claims like “Venezuela gangs are taking over Aurora” and “Haitians are eating cats and dogs” creates unnecessary issues for the immigrant communities. In an interview CNN did with Haitian immigrants in Springfield, they found that there have been multiple bomb threats on schools with primarily Haitian children. “We did not have threats seven days ago, we did not have these concerns seven days ago,” one resident of Springfield said.
In Ohio, where Trump claimed Haitians were eating dogs and cats, the Haitian community is facing verbal harassment. Schools have experienced closures because of the amount of bomb threats since the debate, and tensions have risen within local communities, heightening fears and distrust.
