Conflicting Reports Warn and Downplay Concerns of Migrant Gang Violence in Denver and New York

Two individuals who are suspected to be members of a Venezuelan gang, Tren De Aragua, were arrested in Denver and released on a $1,000 bond. This comes shortly after a video went viral that shows alleged Tren De Aragua members breaking into apartments in Aurora, a Denver suburb. After the video went viral, Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris said, “We’ve been talking to the residents here and learning from them to find out what exactly is going on, and there’s definitely a different picture. I’m not saying that there’s not gang members that don’t live in this community.”

There have been conflicting media reports from residents who live in the neighborhood, with some saying that the gangs are violently displacing residents in apartment buildings and others saying that is simply not happening.

In a CBS Denver news report by Tori Mason, she interviewed the resident who caught the footage of the suspects breaking into her neighbor’s apartment. “It’s really like being held hostage,” said resident Cindy Romero. “They would call me and say I’m sorry, but we’re not coming. We’re not coming until it’s a bad enough crime.”

Romero referred to the Aurora police department, but other residents have a different story regarding what is happening locally. Mason interviewed another resident who said, “The result of the conditions of this building is the fault and the sole fault of CBZ Management. There are no gangs or criminals here. The only criminal here is the owner of this apartment, who steals from us every month, asking us to pay for this living.”

The Aurora police department issued a statement following Romero’s statements that they were “aware that components of TdA are operating in Aurora.” They added, “It would be improper at this time for the city and APD to make any conclusory statements about specific incidents or provide details about law enforcement strategy and operations. Based on our initial investigative work, we believe reports of TdA influence in Aurora are isolated.”

New York YouTube channel Cash Jordan reported about migrant gang violence that has been happening for months in New York City. Jordan says that sanctuary city policies have enabled criminal behavior to occur without accountability or justice.

Jordan said, “[It’s] fueled by the proliferation of dangerous gang members through our shelter system who act as if they’re entering an American sanctuary city as someone who is fleeing poverty or persecution when the only thing on their mind is persecuting the law-abiding. The reason this is happening in New York and Chicago and Denver and other cities like this is because these gang members understand, according to critics, that they can get away with a lot more in parts of the country where laws are designed to protect them.”

Jordan said that if federal immigration or ICE finds out that the NYPD has arrested immigrants, then the local police are not allowed to hold the suspects. Instead, the city has to wait until federal officials can come pick up the migrant suspects.

Colorado Sun reported about the claims of Venezuelan gang violence in Aurora and said it has been fueling racist threats against local migrants in the area. Some residents say that they are more afraid of white supremacist violence than they are of Venezuelan gang violence.

A local news station interviewed Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman about the immigration crisis and gang violence that has been happening. “The city of Aurora took a position early on that we were not going to participate in the migrant crisis,” Coffman said. “We were not going to provide taxpayer support. We were not even going to be a conduit for federal dollars to come in to provide assistance. This is not our problem. This is a problem created by the federal government at the border with bad policy. It’s the federal government that needs to solve this problem, not the city of Aurora.”

Denver is a sanctuary city, but Aurora is not. A May report said that the preceding 18-month period saw 42,000 illegal immigrants go to Denver to seek asylum. Denver has received more immigrants per capita than any other city in the country. The estimated cost to the city has been between $216 and $340 million. Michael Yon is a border journalist who has been reporting about the journey of immigrants from the Darien Gap up to the U.S. border. In February, he appeared on The HighWire to discuss the issue with Host Del Bigtree. The HighWire also reported about additional strain the immigration crisis has placed on Denver hospitals.

Coffman made it clear that the crisis is not a problem with immigration, but the current policies that have caused an influx of illegal immigration across the southern border.

Danielle Jurinsky, an Aurora city council member, has helped residents move from apartment buildings where the gang violence allegedly took place. Governor Jared Polis’ office responded to the concerns of Jurinsky and others who fear they are living in an unsafe neighborhood.

Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for Governor Polis’ office, downplayed Jurinsky’s concerns. Wieman said, “The governor has already let the mayor know that the state is ready to support the local police department with assistance from state troopers and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if needed,” spokesperson Shelby Wieman told the New York Post. “But, according to police intelligence, this purported invasion is largely a feature of Danielle Jurinsky’s imagination.”

Coffman said multiple apartment buildings have been overtaken by gangs but said the buildings are all owned by the same out-of-state “slumlord.” The issue in Aurora is confirmed by Coffman to be an isolated issue that is not affecting the vast majority of Aurora’s 400,000 residents. He said they are working to solve the problem and figure out why they are overtaking specific apartment buildings in the city of Aurora. “I believe these people didn’t just go there on their own,” Coffman said. “I believe somebody put them there.”

While national reports have caused many to believe migrant gangs are taking over the city of Aurora, the situation seems to be isolated in certain apartment buildings. Despite that, some local residents don’t believe the police are doing enough to protect the citizens who are put in danger in the neighborhoods where the gang is operating.

Another contentious issue relating to crime is bail reform, which has been happening in jurisdictions across the country. This requires judges to release suspects on personal recognizance (PR) bonds without paying anything. The cash bail system gave released suspects the motivation to return to court to get their bond money returned. A 2021 report said that nearly one-third of suspects in Denver failed to show up to court when released on a PR bond.

Some studies have shown no correlation between increased crime rates in jurisdictions that have implemented cash bail reform. Another study indicates a correlation, but there are confounding factors. The study showing a problem with PR bonds states that 66% of suspects released on PR bonds commit crimes again within two years. Other studies only track whether suspects commit crimes while their cases are pending.

Another factor that is not discussed in this context is most of the data is from years ago. The increase in immigration brings an influx of individuals who cannot work legally. There are also studies that indicate that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes. However, no study has looked at all of the factors together, including the record influx of immigrants into cities and an increase in PR bonds.