Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky, who considers herself the loudest provocateur of the issue, signed off on a unified statement Wednesday, September 11, saying that the gang is present, but only sparsely. Mayor Mike Coffman, who has gone back and forth with his position on the disputed claims, also signed off on the statement.
"For some time, well before concerns about TdA in Colorado generated national attention, APD had been arresting people for various criminal activities who had suspected, but not necessarily confirmed, TdA connections," the unified statement reads. "TdA's presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties, all of which the city has been addressing in various ways for months."
Claims that the Venezuelan gang had taken over an apartment complex came in early August from CBZ Management, the owner of 1568 Nome Street, an apartment complex in Aurora that the city has since closed and emptied by evicting a couple hundred residents. Those claims reached national headlines after residents of another property owned by CBZ Management shared a video of five men walking through an apartment with rifles and handguns.
"Please understand that issues experienced at a select few properties do not apply to the city as a whole or large portions of it," the September 11 statement by Aurora reads. "TdA has not 'taken over' the city. The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true."
At the presidential debate on Tuesday, September 10, former President Donald Trump repeated the claims about Aurora, saying it was a city that was "taken over" by immigrants and is one of the "towns" nationwide that no one wants to talk about.
The unified statement about TdA comes "with the assistance and full endorsement of the city manager and Aurora Police Department," according to spokesperson Ryan Luby.
Jurinsky's approval of the statement is significant because she's been amplifying claims of a gang takeover in front of national TV and social media audiences. She is also the chair of the city council's Public Safety Committee.
The unified statement about TdA comes "with the assistance and full endorsement of the city manager and Aurora Police Department," according to spokesperson Ryan Luby.
Jurinsky's approval of the statement is significant because she's been amplifying claims of a gang takeover in front of national TV and social media audiences. She is also the chair of the city council's Public Safety Committee.
On August 29, Mayor Coffman went on Fox News and said that "there are several buildings actually under the same ownership, under state ownership, that have fallen to these Venezuelan gangs." That same day, 9News ran an interview with him sitting alongside Mayor Mike Johnston, downplaying the claims of a takeover. Coffman also referred to CBZ Management at an August 8 Public Safety Committee meeting as "slumlords" with whom the city has had problems for years.
CBZ Management has violations at all three of its properties in Aurora. The registered owner of CBZ, Zev Baumgarten, was supposed to face a jury trial in Aurora to resolve outstanding code violations dating back to 2020 at the 1568 Nome Street property, known as Fitzsimons Place or Aspen Grove. According to the Denver Gazette, the city has agreed to drop the charges against Baumgarten if CBZ sells or leases the Nome Street property.
According to the city's unified statement, the Aurora Police Department "has now linked ten people to TdA and has arrested eight of those people."
According to a September 4 statement by APD, two of those TdA arrests were of Jhonnarty Dejesus and Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos, brothers from Venezuela arrested in early September for charges related to an attempted homicide on July 28 on Nome Street; CBZ Management claims this incident led them to abandon the property and neglect its code violations. APD confirmed the brothers' gang ties by working with local, state and federal partners, according to the statement.
In the September 11 statement, Aurora admits that "TdA activity" and the July incident involving the Pacheco-Chirinos brothers "had significantly affected those properties." Both brothers are now in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to APD.
"The existence of this criminal element is a regional issue," the statement notes. "Just recently arrests have also been made in Denver and Arapahoe County. For this reason, a special task force was established in collaboration with Aurora and other local, state, and federal partners."
Aurora is "optimistic about public safety in our city," the statement reads, noting that it swore in new APD Chief Todd Chamberlain on Monday, September 9, the city's fifth police chief in two years. The statement also promises that Aurora "will continue to embrace our identity as the most diverse city in Colorado and remain steadfast in our commitment to arrest bad actors."
Aurora is "optimistic about public safety in our city," the statement reads, noting that it swore in new APD Chief Todd Chamberlain on Monday, September 9, the city's fifth police chief in two years. The statement also promises that Aurora "will continue to embrace our identity as the most diverse city in Colorado and remain steadfast in our commitment to arrest bad actors."
See the full statement from the City of Aurora below:
We would like to clear the record about the widely reported presence of Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Aurora and across the metro area. We want to provide an update about the facts of the situation and the Aurora Police Department’s collaborative, ongoing efforts to investigate and aggressively pursue criminal activity linked to TdA members and associates.
The city’s duty is to make sure it gathers and presents factual, accurate, and comprehensive information about any issue affecting the community. We reiterate that the safety, security, and well-being of community members and visitors is of paramount concern to us and the city.
As for the perception and reality of public safety in Aurora, please understand that issues experienced at a select few properties do not apply to the city as a whole or large portions of it. TdA has not “taken over” the city. The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true. Again, TdA’s presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties, all of which the city has been addressing in various ways for months.
For some time, well before concerns about TdA in Colorado generated national attention, APD had been arresting people for various criminal activities who had suspected, but not necessarily confirmed, TdA connections. To date, APD has now linked 10 people to TdA and has arrested eight of those people. 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. In line with these arrests, we can also now confirm that criminal activity, including TdA issues, had significantly affected those properties.
New and more comprehensive information is linked here in a summary of documented members of TdA known to Aurora police to date that we encourage everyone to thoroughly review. APD and its partners will continue to make arrests, seize weapons, and collect evidence. They will keep working to put criminals in jail.
The existence of this criminal element is a regional issue. Just recently arrests have also been made in Denver and Arapahoe County. For this reason, a special task force was established in collaboration with Aurora and other local, state, and federal partners. The focus of the task force is to address concerns about TdA and other criminal activity affecting our communities.
We are optimistic about public safety in our city especially as Chief Todd Chamberlain brings fresh perspective and decades of experience to APD. We will continue to embrace our identity as the most diverse city in Colorado and remain steadfast in our commitment to arrest bad actors.
