In recent days, Aurora has been the subject of national media stories, viral online claims and political rhetoric, all centered on the allegation that a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, has taken control of certain apartment buildings in the city.
After reviewing media reports, visiting the affected apartment complexes, and speaking to residents, officials, and community members, Denverite sorted out what is true, what is contested and what is unknown. Here’s what we know and what we don’t.
And if you want to go deeper, here’s more.
What we know
A landlord has claimed the gang has “taken over” apartment buildings
The apartments in question are owned by CBZ Management, a company based in New York. Hundreds of recent immigrants, many of them Venezuelan, live at the buildings. Over the summer, the landlord claimed that Tren de Aragua had “taken over” the complexes, including by shaking down renters for money and kicking out the apartment’s managers.
Various reports have referred to gang presence at apartment buildings including The Aspen Grove, Whispering Pines and The Edge at Lowry. On Wednesday, CBS News published further details related to Whispering Pines. A law firm working for a lender for the complex says members of Tren de Aragua had “threatened to kill … members of Whispering Pines management,” and had demanded half of the building’s rent revenue, according to CBS.
Tren de Aragua does have a local presence
Police officials in Denver and Aurora say Tren de Aragua has a small local presence. They’ve linked gang members to some crimes, including an alleged attempted murder at Fitzsimons Place and the robbery of a Denver jewelry store. A video also shows heavily armed men in one of the apartment buildings, The Edge at Lowry, though it is unclear if they were Tren de Aragua members or what they were doing.
But local officials have denied the takeover claims
City officials deny that the gang has taken control of any part of either Denver or Aurora, including the apartment buildings. However, Aurora police acknowledged on Wednesday that they had received complaints of rent theft at three CBZ Management communities; they have not made any arrests in those cases.
- Got more than five minutes? Read our in-depth explainer on Tren de Aragua
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston claimed that among thousands of new immigrants to the area, around 15 are involved in criminal activity. Aurora police say they have identified 10 members of the gang, six of whom were in custody on Wednesday. The Denver mayor said that Tren de Aragua has much less of a presence locally than the Crips and Bloods, two American gangs.
The landlord was already in trouble with the city
Long before the arrival of Venezuelan immigrants, CBZ Management’s buildings were the target of city enforcement actions. Residents have complained of pest infestations, broken utilities, and structural damage, much of which Denverite documented at a recent visit.
The city recently shut down one of the buildings, Fitzsimons Place on Nome Street, over habitability issues, forcing out hundreds of residents. That building had also been the site of a Tren de Aragua-linked shooting over the summer, which led to an attempted murder charge against a member.
These issues have contributed to a hostile relationship between the landlord and the city, with Mayor Mike Coffman calling the owners “slumlords.”
Some residents have denied the allegations of gang control
At a press conference on Tuesday, dozens of residents said that the landlord’s claims of shakedowns and gang control were false. They said that the video of the armed men in one apartment building was a “one-time” event. And they also said that they were more concerned about their landlord and the mismanagement of the building.
But complaints from residents about criminal activity have also surfaced. Cindy Romero said she captured the video of the armed men at The Edge at Lowry. She told CBS News that she saw people with automatic weapons and witnessed shootouts, with the police offering little help.
Tren de Aragua has been a growing concern nationwide
Tren de Aragua, translated Aragua Train, is a gang that was formed by prisoner Héctor “El Niño” Guerrero more than a decade ago in the Tocorón prison in the Venezuelan state of Aragua. Federal officials say the group has grown out of South America and into the U.S. over the last six years.
The Biden administration imposed sanctions on the gang in July for “a variety of criminal activities including human smuggling and trafficking, gender-based violence, money laundering, and illicit drug trafficking.” The U.S. and Colombia are offering $12 million for the capture of its leaders. Some media reports have said the gang has about 5,000 members worldwide.
Politicians have amplified and in some cases exaggerated claims
The Colorado Republican Party claimed that “gangs have taken over Aurora.” Former President Donald Trump said on a podcast that “very tough young thugs” with “big guns” were “taking over big areas” of Aurora. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, a Republican, has denied many of those claims, saying Tren de Aragua instead has a limited presence.
The social media uproar may be endangering residents
Residents of the apartments say they’ve been the subject of death threats and racist rhetoric from outsiders. Denverite reviewed some of the messages. Some of those messages appear to be coming from would-be vigilantes who are responding to claims of a gang takeover.
Police say they’re responding
Aurora Police have been investigating the claims of gang activity, and they are joining state agencies in a task force to respond to the gang’s presence. A spokesperson for the Denver Police Department told Denverite that its officers are working with Denver apartment managers, residents and others to ensure they stay safe.
What we don’t know
The extent of Tren de Aragua’s influence
While some members of the gang have been implicated in crimes in the Denver metro, the overall influence of Tren de Aragua in Aurora remains hard to quantify. Officials have not confirmed the scale of the gang’s operations.
The extent to which the property owner's allegations are true
Aurora police confirmed that they’ve heard resident complaints about rent theft. But with no arrests being made, the details of the alleged crimes and potential perpetrators remain unclear. Denverite has not yet heard eyewitness testimony about the rent theft and extortion claims. Though it is clear the gang has a presence in some CBZ buildings, the extent of its operations and impact remains contested among both residents and officials.
