As Trump puts Aurora, Colorado, in spotlight, mayor calls Venezuelan gang claims “grossly exaggerated”

The Republican mayor of Aurora, Colorado, said former President Donald Trump’s rally in the city Friday presented an opportunity “to show him and the nation” that Aurora is “not a city overrun by Venezuelan gangs.”

Mayor Mike Coffman made the statement Tuesday after weeks of misleading claims by the former president that the city was a “war zone” overrun with members of a Venezuelan gang. 

During last month’s presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump pointed to Aurora as evidence that immigrants are “violently” taking over the town. “You look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over the towns. They’re taking over buildings,” Trump said.

Coffman said concerns about gang activity have been “grossly exaggerated.” He said the “incidents were limited to several apartment complexes in this city of more than 400,000 residents.”

Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlain said in a Sept. 20 press conference that the city is “not by any means overtaken by Venezuelan gangs.”

Central to the gang takeover claims is a viral video showing armed men entering an apartment in Aurora on Aug. 18. The incident led to the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old man, police said. 

A local councilwoman shared the video on Facebook, claiming a gang took over “entire apartment complexes” in the city. Coffman shared a screenshot from the video and said the city is working to “request an emergency court order to clear the apartment buildings where Venezuelan gang activity has been occurring.” 

However, after patrolling the complex, the police department said gang members had not taken over the building and residents were not paying rent to gangs. Coffman also visited the building and said tenants told him they did not have safety concerns but were alarmed by garbage “piling up” and a “rodent infestation.” 

Coffman said tenants told him they had not been paying rent because “there was no longer an onsite property manager who had always collected the rent.” Coffman said initial reports of a gang takeover came from the property management company, CBZ Management. CBS News reached out to CBZ Management and has not heard back. 

The mayor and councilwoman released a statement on Sept. 11 to “clear the record” and say gang members have not “taken over” the city.

Police said as of Sept. 20, they do not have any information that leads them to believe the men in the video are in a gang.

Chamberlain said Aurora, like any other city, does have crime and gang activity. The police department said it set up a special task force with local, state, and federal officials to address gang activity.

The police department said it has linked 10 people to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and eight of those people have been arrested as of Sept. 11. But Chamberlain said there is “a lot of complexity” when identifying suspects as gang members, adding that it has been “a struggle.” 

“The one thing I really want to make certain on in this whole discussion is that this is a focus on criminal behavior, this is not a focus on immigration status,” Chamberlain said.