Gang takeovers of apartment complexes in Aurora, Colo., by Venezuela’s deadly Tren-de-Agua cartel, like Springfield, Ohio’s flood of 20,000 Haitian migrants, reached the presidential debate stage in August.
“You look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over the towns. They’re taking over buildings,” former President Trump said during August’s debate with VP Kamala Harris.
Immigration and border security lead the way in top issues in the 2024 election, and Aurora ceding ground to a violent gang has become a lightning rod on the campaign trail — and a target for media spin.
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Media attacked Trump’s claims as false, and Republican Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance took criticism again this week in the wake of a viral interview with ABC’s Martha Raddatz over the issue.
Raddatz attacked Trump’s and Vance’s claims before backpedaling to acknowledge takeovers in a viral moment that backfired for ABC. Why, Vance asked, should any city in the United States cede ground to a Venezuelan gang?
NEW: JD Vance torches ABC’s Martha Raddatz after she minimized the illegal immigrant gang takeovers because “only a handful” of apartments complexes have been seized.
Raddatz: “The incidents were limited to a handful of apartment complexes…”
Vance: “Do you hear yourself? Only… pic.twitter.com/TPXdNTD5UH
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 13, 2024
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Nevertheless, media still spun the claims as false.
A look at the figures who have come forward, from residents and property managers to law enforcement and city officials, shows otherwise.
Raddatz herself, in Sunday’s interview with Vance, allowed that apartment complexes in Colorado had been taken by the gangs in a fumbling attempt to minimize the significance of a violent gang staking out turf in an American city.
The moment went viral online, with Vance’s penetrating retort breaking down media framing: “Martha, do you hear yourself: ‘Only a handful of apartment complexes in America were taken over by Venezuelan gangs, and Donald Trump is the problem not Kamala Harris’ open border?’”
Aurora police acknowledged in August at least 10 Tren-de-Agua cartel-members were known to law enforcement in the area, and that they had “significantly affected” apartment complexes.
CBZ Management, a property management company that oversees several of the apartment complexes to have seen the takeovers, with resident complaints and the company’s own staff assaulted by gang members, confirmed Trump’s remarks on the gang takeover.
The Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua viscously beat a representative of an apartment management company in Aurora, Colorado, who was also extorted, had employees threatened, and stole entire apartment complexes from them.
An employee of Cbz management was inspecting an apartment… pic.twitter.com/rB44J6415N
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) October 15, 2024
After a host of resident complaints, one of the company’s own representatives was violently attacked doing routine checks on the property.
After the attack on our CBZ representative, he began getting threatening text messages. We also frequently found people illegally occupying newly vacated apartments during scheduled tours. This was initially attributed to an influx of migrants exploiting squatter laws. We even… pic.twitter.com/OVMk5qhHgQ
— Cbz Management (@CbzManagement) October 11, 2024
The company said one tenant arrived home to find gang members squatting in his apartment, and was forced to leave when police couldn’t help.
City officials acknowledged in September that they had been aware of the gang activity “months ago.”
An Aurora, Colorado city council member joined former President Trump on stage at an Aurora rally Saturday, confirming that Aurora police had approached her about the gangs.
Other reports have confirmed Aurora Police and the DEA alike believe the gang to be a source of crime in the city.
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Meanwhile, left leaning media have latched on to the city’s Republican Mayor’s own damage control.
While the city’s mayor would have interests in maintaining Aurora’s image and public safety, and in managing potential political fallout, the contradiction begs the question: why deny what residents and law enforcement have confirmed?
Aurora, Colo.’s violent Tren-de-Agua gang takeovers are a matter of public record. Denials of violent gangs taking over apartment complexes in the city can serve limited purposes: incompetence on the part of the weak Republicans like Aurora’s mayor and papering over the failures of the disastrous Biden-Harris border policy.