On the ground in the Colorado town where President-elect Trump promises to eliminate ‘savage gangs’ of illegals

AURORA, Colorado – In a grocery store parking lot on an almost freezing afternoon, a man held a cardboard sign identifying himself as a migrant and asking for help. Beside him, a woman and at least one small child sat on the ground, shoulders hunched from the biting breeze.

Such sights have become ubiquitous for those living in Aurora and the greater Denver area. Migrants living on the streets, begging for money or running up cars stopped at intersections with wipers, trying to make a quick buck washing windshields.

Less visible to the average Aurora resident is violent gang crime which catapulted the city of about 400,000 to national prominence.

“We’ve seen extortion, we’ve seen murder, we’ve seen kidnapping,” said former ICE Denver Field Office Director John Fabbricatore, referring to crimes allegedly linked to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang.

These problems “are a direct result of what’s happened at the border in the last four years, and also of allowing all these people in who were not vetted. We didn’t know who they were. And now we have more gang members coming into the community,” he added. Fabricators.

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AND viral video of alleged Venezuelan gang members carrying guns through an Aurora apartment complex last August drew attention to immigration in the Denver area. President-elect Donald Trump visited the city during his re-election campaign last fall, detailing his “Operation Aurora.”

“Upon taking office, we will have ‘Operation Aurora’ at the federal level to accelerate the takedown of these savage gangs,” Trump said during his Gathering on October 11. He said he would use the Alien Enemy Act of 1798 to “target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American soil.”

While local police initially denied that gang members had “taken over” Edge at the Lowry Apartments, local outlets reported this week that a judge had issued an emergency order to the city to close the 60-unit complex. The city described the complex as an “epicenter of unmitigated violent and property crime,” and cited the December kidnapping and torture of a migrant couple at the apartment complex by suspected TdA members.

There were nine men charged in connection with crime this week.

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The arrests followed a vigorous author’s text Aurora Mayor Mike Coffmanaccusing his Denver counterpart of landing migrants in the smaller city “through the front of two non-profit organizations” and blocking Aurora’s attempts to find out how many migrants have been deposited in the city.

“Aurora has suffered a national embarrassment that has damaged our city’s image in a way that could have lasting economic consequences,” wrote Coffman, a Republican. “As the mayor of Aurora, I ask that Mayor Mike Johnston be transparent and tell the truth about what he did.”

A spokesperson for Johnston’s office previously told Fox News Digital that “Denver has not directed any nonprofits or agencies to house newcomers in Aurora.”

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain declined to be interviewed for this story. Mayor Coffman’s office did not respond to multiple interview requests.

Fabbricatore said both mayors are “guilty of trying to ignore” the problem of illegal immigration, especially when TdA first entered the community.

“There was a huge lack of communication between Aurora and Denver,” he said. “Both mayors should come forward and admit that we have a problem with crime, illegality, foreigners, that we have a problem with gangs and that is what needs to be dealt with.”

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Fabbricatore praised Trump’s appointment of former acting ICE Director Tom Homan as “border czar,” calling Homan a “policeman” and predicting that federal agents would be able to conduct “targeted actions” against “criminal illegal aliens.”

People living in Aurora who Fox News Digital spoke to extensively said they feel safe in the city and have not personally noticed any gang problems.

Al, who moved to Aurora from Chicago four years ago, said crime in Colorado is “nothing compared.”

“I know a lot of people complain about gang problems, but I personally haven’t noticed it,” he said. “The only real problem I see here is that the homeless population is quite large and I feel for them.”

Overall crime in the city of about 400,000 people fell slightly in the first eight months of 2024 compared to a year earlier, an analysis shows local station Denver7 found. And while gang-related assaults are up 33% compared to 2023, the five-year average of reported crimes shows a significant drop in such assaults from 513 to 221, police data show.

Locals were divided over whether they supported Trump’s promised mass deportations.

“If they came in illegally, they have to go back and come in the right way,” Roosevelt told Fox News Digital.

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But Clarence, originally from Memphis, Tenn., worries about the impact on immigrants who have been in the area for decades.

“These people [have] been here all this time,” he said. “How are you going to push these people out of their homes? I don’t understand that. They’ve been here longer than me.”

Robert spilled a few words, suggesting ICE “deport Trump” instead.

Trump has previously said that removing illegal immigrants who have committed crimes is a priority, but that his administration is willing to target law-abiding immigrants after that.