Is a Venezuelan gang growing in the US? Colorado feels the threat.
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Sarah Matusek Staff writer
| AURORA, COLO.
Suspected Venezuelan gang activity around Denver is stirring public concern here in Colorado and across the United States – amplifying election-year questions about effects of unauthorized immigration that reach far beyond America’s southern border.
In recent days, local and federal officials here have increasingly gone on record about what they describe as the reputed presence of the gang, called Tren de Aragua.
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onWhen dealing with gangs, local officials are tasked with maintaining public safety without fearmongering. In Colorado, that ethos is being tested by the reputed presence of a Venezuelan gang.
As local officials offer conflicting narratives about the gang’s level of activity, police and politicians here are boosting efforts to address security concerns. Low-income residents, often other immigrants themselves, may be experiencing the harshest impacts, not just at the hands of criminals, but also in headlines that can cast doubt on whole neighborhoods or nationalities.
It’s “really rare” for a gang to receive this level of recognition from officials, says David Pyrooz, a gang researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. While agencies typically avoid giving a gang notoriety, he says, it seemed they had an “obligation because of the outcry” to offer some confirmation.
Suspected Venezuelan gang activity in the Denver metro area is stirring public concern in Colorado and across the United States – amplifying election-year questions about the impact of unauthorized immigration that reach far beyond the U.S. southern border.
In recent days, local and federal officials here have increasingly gone on record about what they say is presence of the gang, called Tren de Aragua. Meanwhile, current criminal court cases in Denver involve a man who’s been, reportedly, linked to the gang by federal sources. And in the neighboring city of Aurora, a resident’s viral video shows armed individuals in an apartment building before a fatal shooting, which authorities are investigating.
The video footage has heightened allegations of a gang “takeover” of certain apartment buildings, which former President Donald Trump has also begun to claim.
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onWhen dealing with gangs, local officials are tasked with maintaining public safety without fearmongering. In Colorado, that ethos is being tested by the reputed presence of a Venezuelan gang.
As local officials offer conflicting narratives about the gang’s level of activity, police and politicians here are boosting efforts to address security concerns. Immigrant advocates are also denouncing claims of widespread criminal activity, as rumors outpace ongoing investigations. Low-income residents, including other immigrants, may be experiencing the harshest consequences – not just at the hands of criminals, but also in headlines that have cast doubt on whole neighborhoods and nationalities.
It’s “really rare” for a gang to receive this level of recognition from officials, says David Pyrooz, a gang researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. While agencies typically avoid giving a gang notoriety, he says, it seemed they had an “obligation because of the outcry” to offer some confirmation.
Is a Venezuelan gang gaining a foothold in Colorado?
Cindy Romero wanted to move out of her Aurora apartment for months.
To her relief, Ms. Romero moved out last week, sharing what would become a viral video with Fox31. Through her doorbell camera, she caught an armed group of men wielding guns outside her door.
She had installed a series of door locks with extra-long screws after an escalation of what she calls “organized criminal behavior,” like a shooting she overheard in August. She can also point to where a bullet pierced her car.
Financial concerns and other logistics kept Ms. Romero rooted until Danielle Jurinsky, an at-large City Council member, helped her move out. Ms. Jurinsky believes the gang is behind the apartment building’s unrest and has called for more transparency around Tren de Aragua, also known as TdA.
She says several police officers have called her with the message “You need to know about this gang.” Even if a fraction of the Venezuelans who’ve arrived to the area in recent years are involved, Ms. Jurinsky says, “that is a large number.”
Ms. Romero, meanwhile, is heartbroken – no matter who’s behind the crimes.
“It’s adding insult to injury to be told it’s part of our imagination,” says Ms. Romero, a U.S. citizen. Police were of no help despite her relentless calls, she adds. “The only outreach we got was when we went to the media.”
Ms. Romero says she personally can’t confirm TdA’s role in her security concerns, which are under investigation. Many social media users sharing her video, however, are quick to draw conclusions about the gang’s involvement.
Immigrant residents rallied Tuesday on Dallas Street, Ms. Romero’s old street, to push back on claims their community is linked to TdA. They showed press their bedbug-bitten arms and rodent traps, saying they are victims more of landlord negligence than of criminals.
“Los buenos somos más,” chanted the crowd in Spanish. “There are more good people among us.”
In August, the city closed another complex. The owner, who could not be reached for comment, claims the shuttered building was overrun by a Venezuelan gang. Displaced residents and some city officials counter that the building was instead closed due to long-term disrepair and neglect.
How is Tren de Aragua entering the U.S.?
Tren de Aragua, whose name means “Aragua Train,” emerged from a prison in the Venezuelan state of Aragua. The Biden administration designated the group as a transnational criminal organization in July, and the U.S. State Department is offering up to $12 million in awards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of TdA leaders.
Last year, the U.S. Border Patrol started reporting apprehensions of unauthorized immigrants it considers affiliated with TdA. Nationwide, there were 41 such TdA apprehensions last fiscal year, with 26 in fiscal year 2024 so far. Individuals linked to separate gangs, such as MS-13 and Paisas, are more frequently apprehended at the border.
Border Patrol encounters reached historic highs under the Biden administration – and more Venezuelans have tried to enter the U.S. as instability grips their country. Some conservatives cite TdA reports as evidence of flawed Biden-Harris border security policies. But the administration blames Republicans for blocking a bipartisan immigration bill and points to a dramatic drop in border crossings in recent months after new asylum restrictions.
Over the past year, American media have increasingly cited law enforcement reports of suspected TdA activity, from New York to Florida. The U.S., however, isn’t the first country to allege TdA’s presence beyond Venezuela. Its reach has reportedly spanned several countries in South America, with a criminal portfolio including murder, extortion, sexual exploitation, and drug trafficking. The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating the last of these in Colorado.
“In recent months, our agents – working in collaboration with federal, state, and local partners here in Colorado – have seized multi-kilogram quantities of fentanyl destined for the Denver-Metro area from individuals believed to be members and/or associates of the gang known as Tren de Aragua,” says Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division, in an emailed statement.
The DEA declined to answer additional questions about the gang’s operations and regional scope, citing ongoing investigations. The principal suppliers of illicit fentanyl remain the Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, says the agency.
Getting the situation “under control”
Adding to rising regional awareness of potential TdA ties is a federal indictment announced last month in Colorado.
The four defendants, all Venezuelan nationals, face charges related to an armed robbery of a Denver jewelry store in June. A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirms that all four individuals were encountered by the Border Patrol, along the Texas-Mexico border, on different dates in 2023. All were placed in removal proceedings in immigration court, ICE reports.
One defendant, Jean Franco Torres-Roman, who also faces separate criminal charges in Denver County Court, including for attempted first-degree murder, has reportedly been linked to TdA by a federal agency in Texas. A lawyer for the defendant declined an interview request.
In a rare joint interview last week, the Democratic mayor of Denver and Republican mayor of Aurora sought to soothe hysteria as their cities swept into national news.
“The situation is under control,” Mayor Mike Johnston of Denver told 9News. “There is going to be no widespread gang activity in the city of Denver.”
“It’s a serious incident, but it’s not the entire city,” said Mayor Mike Coffman of Aurora. His local police last month announced a task force focused on “violent crime impacting migrants and other communities.”
Investigating the threat – and protecting victims
There’s “very little data” – at least public and confirmed – on the group in the U.S. so far, says Professor Pyrooz. More research is needed, he says, on questions like, Is the gang formally franchising here, or simply appearing through migration? Are crimes gang-motivated or gang-related, by members acting solo?
Homeland Security Investigations became aware of TdA in Colorado earlier this year, says Jeff Brannigan, who served as the deputy special agent in charge of HSI Denver until this month.
Determining a suspect’s gang affiliation can further investigations. However, “the actual criminal offense is our main focus,” says Mr. Brannigan. Still, TdA’s new federal designation – as a transnational criminal organization – opens up dedicated funding for related investigations.
“It’s often the case that criminal enterprises victimize their own,” says Mr. Brannigan. Within migrant communities, unauthorized immigrants especially can be “more easily victimized,” he says, due to fears around approaching police and being deported.
“If somebody comes to us and has information about criminal activity, we want to collect the information and we want to protect the victims,” regardless of immigration status, says Mr. Brannigan. There are immigration protections available to victims or witnesses of crimes, he adds, including certain visas.
“We have been hearing that there is possible extortion,” says Tony Cancino, president of the Aurora Police Association. “There is a lot of gun violence and robberies.” How suspected TdA affiliates are getting their hands on guns, he says, “is the biggest question around.”
Did Denver’s migrant response aid the gang’s growth?
Also unclear is whether people suspected to be linked to TdA have benefited from Denver’s migrant response, including temporary shelter and other services.
The city’s migrant resources have cost around $74 million, says Jon Ewing, spokesperson for the Denver newcomer program. He also says the city does not give out names of individuals served due to privacy concerns.
“If anyone’s benefiting, it’s TdA, because you can’t buy [media] exposure like this,” says Mr. Ewing. He also worries about migrants here being “feared as the other.” The city recently found anti-immigrant and racist signs installed along a busy street.
Mr. Ewing also rejects claims that Denver’s spending on migrants has attracted gang violence. Had the city not offered that aid, he adds, “we would have thousands of women and children living on our streets.”
In recent days, law enforcement have announced a steady drip of TdA developments, such as news that broke Tuesday of arrests of four people in Arapahoe County, which includes Aurora. Meanwhile, the national scrutiny isn’t lost on local police.
“We’re working really hard,” says Mr. Cancino of the union. “We’re tired.”
“Us who are innocent”
Coromoto, a Venezuelan asylum-seeker who wanted to use her middle name for fear of reprisals, is also tired. She sits on the edge of a hotel bed in Aurora, a few miles from her home on Nome Street that the city shuttered last month. She says her brother was killed back in Venezuela while protesting the repressive government.
“There are a lot of us who want to move forward in life, and because of bad people, it’s us who are innocent who are going to pay,” says Coromoto. Here, she says, “I am ashamed to say that I’m from Venezuela.”
That evening, the Aurora Police Department posted news on social media about a Venezuelan suspect it has connected to an aggravated assault and shooting at her former residence. Aurora police now allege he is a “documented member” of TdA.
Another woman, whose middle name is Jackelin, enters the room with a baby held close. Her daughter, 1 month old, wears a pattern of pastel hearts.
Jackelin says her husband, a Venezuelan like her, just lost his job due to Tren de Aragua rumors. It’s unclear where they’ll live next.
For now, Jackelin cradles her daughter on the bed and offers what she can. She lets her baby nurse.
