Boebert leads roundtable discussion on Aurora Venezuelan gang activity

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert and city and state leaders held a roundtable discussion Friday regarding the city of Aurora and the ongoing conversations about the validity of reported Venezuelan gang violence.

Boebert, a Republican, currently represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District on the Western Slope and is campaigning to represent the 4th District that includes most of the rural Eastern Plains and communities like Parker and Loveland. She was joined by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, Aurora Council Member Danielle Jurinsky, former ICE Acting Director Tom Homan and other politicians and community leaders for the discussion.

Their focus was on the back-and-forth about what’s been happening in Aurora and the validity of reported violence from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua at several apartment complexes.

The video that sparked this nationwide spotlight shows people carrying guns and entering apartments at an Aurora complex. Sources from the Department of Homeland Security told NewsNation that some of the people in that video have ties to Tren de Aragua .

Cindy Romero, a former resident at The Edge at Lowry apartment complex, shared the video with FOX31’s Vicente Arenas, who was there as she moved out of the complex . On Friday, she spoke about her time there and what she saw.

“Do you know what it’s like to be a minority in your own home? I am telling you, it’s terrifying,” she said.

Romero said there were no representatives from the apartment management company at the complex for a month because they also feared for their safety.

“I caught a screenshot of them holding a family on my floor by gunpoint, looking for whatever they were looking for. If they are allowed to fester it’s just going to get worse. There are bullet holes in my car, we’ve had our tires stabbed, we’ve had our tailgates broken and I have reported so many crimes in that area that I had to leave, because I am not bulletproof,” she said.

Some say police could be doing more

Some at the table had questions on crime in the city. Jurinsky clarified this, saying overall numbers are down for the city. But numbers at these specific complexes are on the rise , as previously reported by FOX31.

After hearing about Romero’s experience, the focus of the conversation turned to police enforcement. Romero claims that there were multiple times when she called 911 because of crime at the complex but police did not respond. Jurinsky said the Aurora Police Department is down 200 officers.

Council Member Stephanie Hancock shared concerns in response.

“These gangs prey on that vulnerability and the fact that we don’t have teeth with what law enforcement can do and what ICE can do. They know this, they know better than we do. We keep getting revictimized and nothing is going to get done until we put some feet on our faith and do the work that it takes,” Hancock said.

Jurinsky claimed that local nonprofits that have been assisting those who live at the complexes are not assisting everyone equally. She also claimed that people who spoke at a news conference Tuesday saying they lived at the building were not residents because they do not have proper leases or documentation of living there.

“Let me make this clear, they are not residents of this building. They are occupants,” Jurinsky said.

Impact of immigration enforcement on violence

Another topic discussed was immigration and how current law does not allow local police to arrest or detain individuals on the basis of immigration status and they cannot work directly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which they say in turn makes it difficult for police. There is also an active lawsuit from multiple Colorado counties against the state asking for damages caused by the state’s sanctuary status.

Colorado state Rep. Ron Weinberg, a Republican who represents the area near Loveland, spoke at the roundtable and said he’s working to overturn that law.

“This is why we are running into this problem in Aurora, and if we don’t stop it and do something about it now, it’s not going to stop. It’s going to take over the whole county,” he said.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman put out a statement on Facebook Friday, saying he agrees with interim Police Chief Heather Morris that a Venezuelan gang is not in control of the apartment complexes . Those at Friday’s roundtable, led by Boebert, disagreed.

“Gangs are present in these buildings. Classify a takeover however you will. When they have the keys, when they are busting down doors and accessing other rooms, assaulting people, stabbing people, making threats, extorting them, I would consider that a takeover,” Boebert said.

Along with Friday’s conversation, Boebert also sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security centered on Tren de Aragua and its place in Aurora. In the letter, she asked many questions about the role DHS could play in assisting this situation. She also placed further blame on the Biden administration’s border policies .

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