Trump’s Falsehoods About “Gangs” Taking Over Aurora, Colorado

City seal image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Since the presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris a few weeks ago, Donald Trump’s false statements about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio attracted much attention.  

CNN reports on another immigration falsehood told by Trump during the debate.  Gangs in the city of Aurora, Colorado,  During the debate, said “Look at Aurora, in Colorado. They are taking over the towns. They’re taking over buildings. They’re going in violently.” Just a few days earlier at a campaign rally, Trump had claimed without evidence that Venezuelan gangs were taking over Colorado and hinted at bloodshed to come. “You know, getting them out will be a bloody story,” he said.

CNN looked at what exactly is happening in Aurora. For weeks, rumors have been circulating that the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has been running wild in the city and terrorizing a handful of apartment buildings,  The truth of the matter:   “Aurora police say gang influence is `isolated,’ and the city of Aurora has countered that the real problem has been abusive housing conditions – apartments often had no heat or running water and were plagued by pests and mold.”

It is true that many of those living in the apartment complexes are recent immigrants from Venezuela.

“Fear is already percolating through [Aurora], with Venezuelan migrants at the receiving end . . . . One young Venezuelan man named Danilo, who migrated to the US last year, told CNN that he hadn’t noticed any gang activity in his building but has recently struggled to find steady work due to a stigma toward his nationality.”

KJ