A local Colorado news anchor slammed Donald Trump on Monday for comments the former president has made saying a migrant gang had taken over parts of Aurora, Colorado. Trump has repeatedly said that a violent Venezuelan gang called "Tren de Aragua" had taken control of apartment complexes in the city.
Anchor Kyle Clark said on 9News on Monday, "The Republicans who lead Aurora still disagree whether a Venezuelan gang currently controls apartment complexes in that city, while Donald Trump continues his attacks on Aurora at a racist and bigoted campaign rally at Madison Square Garden last night."
Clark reported that Aurora's GOP Mayor Mike Coffman and Police Chief Todd Chamberlain both dismissed the idea that gangs currently control apartment complexes. Coffman told 9News, "The central question is, is there a problem now? And I don't believe there is. We did have a problem. There's no question about it that there was a problem, but there was a law enforcement response to that problem."
Clark played a clip of Chamberlain saying, "This city is not overrun by TDA (Tren de Aragua). This city is not controlled by TDA. I'm going to stand up in front of you right now and say that is an incredibly false narrative. It is a narrative that is not validated or backed up by any statistics, any data, any information."
Aurora Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky has posted email exchanges on X that appear to show the Aurora Police Department knew about the gang activity last fall.
Clark on Monday said, "Trump has falsely said that the gang conquered Aurora at a rally where speakers disparaged Latinos, Blacks, Jews, and Palestinians. Trump said last night he will liberate Aurora."
He then played a clip from Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden in which Trump said, "One of the deadliest and most vicious migrant gangs that [Vice President] Kamala [Harris] has imported into our country is the savage Venezuelan prison gang. Called Tren de Aragua. And that is taking over apartment complexes and unleashing a violent killing spree all over America, especially in Aurora, Colorado, where we have a governor who's petrified of them. And maybe he should be."