Aurora, Colorado, made headlines again this week with the arrest of 10 members of the Venezuelan transnational gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), following a string of violent incidents at local apartment complexes. The arrests come after the city found itself in the national spotlight when surveillance footage showing armed men taking over properties went viral online, raising concerns about public safety and the gang’s influence in the area.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday by Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and Public Safety Chair Danielle Jurinsky, the city confirmed the arrests, with the “full endorsement” of the Aurora Police Department (APD) and city officials. The statement acknowledged that APD had been investigating and arresting individuals linked to TdA for some time, but only now confirmed the gang’s deeper involvement in criminal activities across the city.
“To date, APD has now linked 10 people to TdA and has arrested eight of those people,” the statement revealed. “Two of the eight individuals who were taken into custody were involved in a July shooting at one of the specific properties in the city that have experienced issues with TdA activity.”
The charges against the arrested individuals are severe and range from child abuse to attempted first-degree murder and illegal firearm discharge. These arrests reflect a concerted effort by Aurora’s law enforcement to address the growing criminal activity linked to TdA, a notorious gang originally based in Venezuelan prisons, now operating in several countries, including the U.S. Many of its members in the U.S. are illegal aliens, complicating law enforcement’s efforts to control the situation.
One arrest warrant dates back to an assault at the Whispering Pines apartments in November 2023, a property that has been a focal point of the gang’s violent operations. There, gang members allegedly extorted tenants, charging them “rent” for staying in the complex, while also engaging in drug dealing and other illegal activities.
The joint statement from city officials also directly addressed rumors circulating on social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), about the extent of the gang’s presence in Aurora. “TdA has not ‘taken over’ the city,” the statement emphasized, pushing back against claims that the gang’s influence had spread citywide. “The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true.”
In response to the growing concerns, a multi-agency task force has been created to tackle the gang’s operations. This coalition includes local, state, and federal partners and aims to put an end to the violent acts carried out by TdA members in Aurora, as well as in neighboring Arapahoe County and Denver.
The arrests have not only raised concerns about public safety but also sparked political tensions. Colorado Governor Jared Polis faced criticism earlier after he dismissed concerns about the viral footage showing apartment takeovers, calling it “imagination.” His office, however, was quick to comment following the arrests, stating that Colorado remains a “zero-tolerance state for illegal activity.”
“Aurora is a great, vibrant city of more than 400,000 hardworking Coloradans,” a spokesperson for Governor Polis said in a statement to Fox News Digital. The governor, who signed HB19-1124 in 2019 making Colorado a sanctuary state, noted that his office had been in close contact with Aurora officials, underscoring their participation in the task force tackling the ongoing issues with TdA.
