Fox News helped spread the lie being promoted by former President Trump and MAGA extremists that Venezuelan gangs were “taking over Colorado”
Message from Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper, September 26, 2024:
You’ve probably been hearing nonstop from conservative media and MAGA Republicans, including Donald Trump, that Aurora has been “taken over” by Venezuelan gangs. You might be confused why this information continues to spread even though it has repeatedly¹ been² proven³ false. You might also be wondering what the truth is – the actual ground truth stripped of the politics.
I wouldn’t blame you. This whole thing has been a confusing mess with plenty of misinformation. So let’s look at the facts without the games.
How did we get here?
The short answer is because many Republicans would rather play politics with the border crisis than actually solve it.
Here’s the longer answer on how we got here, with my sources on each claim cited in the footnotes so you know exactly where I’m getting my information. No games, just the facts:
Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper
The story actually starts last year in 2023 when the city of Aurora was trying to push an out-of-state landlord to fix up three apartment buildings that had become derelict.⁴
This past July, that absentee landlord, CBZ management, claimed it couldn’t fix the apartments because Venezuelan gangs had taken over.⁵ According to an email obtained by the New York Times, a spokesperson for the management company then started calling news stations with this claim under the guise of a “news tip.”⁶
The only problem is that the people actually living in those apartments said they didn’t know anything about a gang takeover.
They had plenty to say, however, about the terrible living conditions and the totally absent landlord, CBZ management.⁷
But that didn’t stop the story from spreading quickly on social media and conservative “news” sources. A viral video showing men with guns in one of the buildings also added fuel to the fire.
But Aurora law enforcement has been clear. Not only are they aware of this gang, Tren de Aragua, but of the 10 gang members they’ve identified, 6 are in custody and have been since before all this went viral.⁸ They also say they’ve seen no evidence that any gang has “taken over” any building.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, himself a Republican, has also issued a statement to set the record straight on the situation, outright refuting claims of a “takeover” and asking for people to stop spreading false information.⁹
Caught up in all of this are Venezuelan immigrants themselves. People fleeing a terrible situation in Venezuela, many fleeing gang violence themselves. Now many are reporting a rise in hate directed at them by people who are reading false claims about the gang activity that is being spread for political reasons.¹⁰
232 days ago one of the most conservative senators in the country, Senator James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), negotiated with Democrats and Republicans to write a bill that would address the crisis at our southern border. We didn’t agree with everything in it, but it was a true compromise that would’ve helped fix the problem.
Importantly, it also had work authorizations for new arrivals, exactly what cities like Denver have been asking the federal government to do to ease the burden.¹¹
Republicans embraced the bill, and for a moment it looked like Congress was actually going to act.
But Donald Trump decided he’d rather campaign on the crisis than have it solved.
So he demanded Republicans oppose it. Don’t take my word for it, he’s bragged about killing the bill himself.¹²
And just like that, the bill failed.¹³
But guess what? That hasn’t stopped Trump or MAGA Republicans¹⁴ from making up stories about Aurora to campaign on immigration.
Which brings us right back to the short answer for how we got here: Republicans are making up stories about Aurora, our communities, and our state because the truth is that they decided politics is more important than solutions.
References:
1. https://denverite.com/2024/09/05/venezuelan-gang-aurora-colorado-quick-explainer/
3. https://coloradosun.com/2024/09/06/venezuelan-gangs-aurora/
4. https://denverite.com/2024/09/04/venezuelan-gang-aurora-colorado-factcheck/
6. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/15/us/politics/trump-aurora-colorado-immigration.html
7. https://denverite.com/2024/09/04/venezuelan-gang-aurora-colorado-factcheck/
8. https://www.denverpost.com/2024/09/04/venezuelan-gang-colorado-aurora-tren-de-aragua/
9. https://www.auroragov.org/news/whats_new/mayor__council_member_address_gang_concerns
13. https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-a39e188fa2c6a563203d2c69eaabdc6d
14. https://kdvr.com/news/local/boebert-leads-roundtable-discussion-on-aurora-venezuelan-gang-activity/
only trump promise/policy about border was build a wall paid by Mexico. No wall. No $ from Mexico. But we did get a Bannon fake “build the wall” organization that cheated people (MAGA) and the trump aides involved are convicted felons that trump then pardoned.
I live in SE Aurora and work in NE Aurora close to the area where the focus is. Aurora is the 3rd largest city in CO and diverse.There is occasional gang stuff that happens, like any urban area. There are a very small number of people from other countries involved in that, like any urban area. There is no issue with immigrant gangs, or Venezuelan gangs. There is crime, but crime is significantly down in the US in most categories.The apartment complexes that are the focus have been neglected by the landlord and allowed to fall into a bad state over many years. Crime does move to areas like that.The police have visited and checked many times recently and state there is no Venezuelan gang infestation.There are unliveable conditions.They are trying to pursue some petty criminals that may be in that area, and go after the responsible landlord. Police have it covered. No more villifying immigrants to blame & deflect, putting them in danger and fearful. Aurora can manage this and does not need any outside visitors – who will also, as they always do, stiff us for their exorbitant costs in visiting, create chaos and push hate and division.
Your account is interesting because you live there. But you may not be aware of the history. There are two accounts which I have read because I was truly interested in finding out the truth about this bizarre situation.
One is from the National Review. The other is from City Journal. I tried to post the links but apparently Anne doesn’t allow this.
They both tell a long and sordid tale of behind the scenes dealings with the City of Denver and at least two unscrupulous NGOs which took taxpayer money and installed hundreds of poor, destitute migrants into dilapidated housing. What could go wrong?
Up until recently I knew nothing about Hickenlooper, but now I know that he is willing to wave away a terrible situation in favor of using his voice to trash Trump and the Republicans. Polis has done this, as well.
This is how politics stands in our country and it is sad to me that all you here are completely satisfied with hearing only half of the story because it maligns Trump and satisfies your priors.
The situation doesn’t have anything to do with Trump, other than he spread a false story about what was happening. Do you think we should praise Trump for this? You seem completely satisfied that it is true simply because Trump said it.
Let us vote to keep the former president in the private sector, site of his chain of triumphs: casinos, steaks, wine, “universities,” foreign “relations,” red-lining, golden athletic shoes, coins, and, last but not least lady-time. I supported The Former Guy for decades, but, bit by bit, I began to distrust his honesty, sense of service, empathy, and plain old kindness. Enough!
Surely you know Colorado won’t vote for Trump..
so there’s that.
But do you really think that Biden/Harris is better?
I guess we’ll see what the country thinks in November.
My calculation is that the Democrats have become truly evil. Trump is no saint either but for some weird reason he has managed to survive. Maybe it’s because people are sick of the blatant lies, manipulation of our media and corruption at the highest levels. The democrats have made the strategic mistake of showing who they really are.
Blatant lies: Like the lie that gangs had taken over an apartment building? Or that Haitian immigrants (in the country legally) were eating cats and dogs?
Manipulation of Media: Like the a##-kissing he got from Fox for so long?
Corruption at the highest levels: Like Jared Kushner getting 2 billion from the Saudis while he was Trump’s adviser? And about a thousand other instances.
Meanwhile, all you guys have is a discredited laptop and the mantra “but her e-mails!”
Mote, plank, etc.
If you’re stupid enough to tune in to FoxNews and its ilk, you’re stupid enough.
The border situation didn’t need a “bi-partisan” bill in order to solve it. Everything was in place the day Biden took office and he opened the floodgates with executive actions (not voted on by congress). The bill you are referring to would have allowed “5,000 crossings over a week” or “8,500 in a single day,”.
House speaker, Mike Johnson said, “we should allow zero illegal crossings” and I tend to agree because we are losing the concept of our rule of law…anything goes nowadays. There was also a ton of money for places like Ukraine and Israel and amnesty regulations that some people say would have “undermine[d] the fairness and thoroughness of asylum screenings” and put asylum seekers at risk “by pushing them back to unsafe and violent conditions.”
One might ask why all that was included?…some people did and that’s why the bill failed. It had little to do with Trump and everything to do with Democrats throwing money around to look like they’re doing something. I don’t know how or why Lankford supported this bill because he surely knew that it wasn’t needed. Maybe he liked the Ukraine funding.
What is always a constant among democrats is finding a way to blame Trump. It’s been going on for nine years and weirdly hasn’t eliminated him. But you guys keep it up.
Everyone knows we have an immigration system that needs fixing. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough serious and sane people in Washington to even begin the work.
So Trump is lying when he brags about killing the Border bill. And the documented orders to Mike Jpohnson to kill it didn’t happen. Got it.
Trump says a lot of stuff I wish he wouldn’t say.
I didn’t know about any documented orders. Did you hear that from MSNBC?
The point is that it didn’t pass and that’s a very good thing.
“Trump says a lot of stuff I wish he wouldn’t say ”
—like what/when bhh??
When he spews lies while distorting facts to the point of literally endangering his manufactured targets.
When he poorly verbalizes said lies using incomplete, disjointed sentences- you know the how each delivery is loaded w gibberish and is garbled.
New development: VP Harris who is now said, by a trump associated “prophet” , evangelical Lance Wallnau to be practicing Witchcraft. This “fact” would make it not only possible but probable the VP has been casting spells on trump which makes him say ‘a lot of stuff you wish he wouldn’t say”.
Yep. VP Harris is practicing Witchcraft.
“Trump says a lot of stuff I wish he wouldn’t say.”
What a spineless way to try to distance yourself from his stupidity and hate speech, without openly admitting you agree with all of it.
BadHat….you one sorry individual!!!
“5,000 crossings over a week” or “8,500 in a single day,”.
This is not to mention the many, many millions of unscreened people who have already crossed into our country, probably never to be seen again. The number is uncertain and I doubt we will ever know. Some say 10 million.
Think of that the next time you have to take off your shoes at the airport.
Suffice it to say, crossing were far fewer under Trump.
I’m sure crossings were fewer. They were taking their children away if they did. That’s not a good thing. That you think it is says a lot about you.
IOW it was just capitalism in action. CBZ saw a way out of making repairs.