Former President Donald Trump is heading to Aurora, Colorado, on Friday for a rally in which he is expected to discuss reports of gang violence in the town, but the mayor is hoping it can be an opportunity for Trump to see that Aurora is “not a city overrun by Venezuelan gangs.”
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman issued a statement on Tuesday ahead of Trump’s rally in the city, arguing that incidents involving the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, have been “grossly exaggerated.”
“Former President Trump’s visit to Aurora is an opportunity to show him and the nation that Aurora is a considerably safe city — not a city overrun by Venezuelan gangs. My public offer to show him our community and meet with our police chief for a briefing still stands,” Coffman said in a statement.
“The reality is that the concerns about Venezuelan gang activity have been grossly exaggerated. The incidents were limited to several apartment complexes in this city of more than 400,000 residents,” he added.
In announcing the rally on Monday evening, Trump’s campaign referenced reports of gangs taking over apartment complexes, arguing that the city had become a “war zone.”
“These violent criminals are destroying the safety and security of Aurora’s apartment complexes, and yet, the Harris-Biden administration continues to allow illegal immigrants to cross the borders unchecked,” the campaign said in a statement announcing the Friday rally.
“Kamala’s border bloodbath has made every state a border state, leaving Colorado families at the mercy of criminals. The only solution to stop the border crisis is to elect President Trump, who will secure the border, deport dangerous criminals, and Make America Safe Again,” the announcement added.
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City officials had initially denied reports of gangs taking over any apartment complexes before later saying that the gang had not caused wide-scale problems for the city but rather only caused problems at some properties in the city.
Trump’s rally in Aurora is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern time on Friday. Colorado is not a state considered in play, but the focus on reports of problems from the Venezuelan gang helps with Trump’s policy pitch for border security, including mass deportations.
