Of all of the American cities that have experienced waves of illegal migrants showing up on their doorsteps and demanding shelter and services, Denver has been both one of the most popular destinations and one that has experienced the greatest internal turmoil as a result. Debates broke out about how many migrants they should accept, where they would put them, and how long they would be allowed to stay. The city has gone through several iterations of its plans thus far, but debates continue. Today's story isn't about Denver, however. It deals with Aurora, Colorado, a much smaller bedroom community to the east of Denver. There was never any significant debate over the migrants in Aurora. They didn't want them, but the migrants began arriving in significant numbers without an invitation. Unfortunately for Aurora's residents, a significant number of the "new arrivals" were not there for a free bed and a few meals. They turned out to be members of the notorious Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, and they set up shop in Aurora and immediately got to "work." (NY Post)

Denver’s decision to welcome migrants with open arms is bringing bloodshed to the suburbs next door. A notorious Venezuelan prison gang has set up shop in Aurora, Colorado — even though the town wanted no part of the influx of asylum seekers in the first place.

Aurora — a quiet bedroom community with a population of 390,000 directly east of the Mile-High City — has become a base of operations for the brutal Tren de Aragua gang, which has seized multiple apartment complexes and set off a wave of violent crime.

Denver leads the nation in new migrant arrivals per-capita, with more than 40,000 arriving from the southern border since December 2022.

Back in February, the Aurora City Council passed a resolution by a 7-3 margin declaring that they would not be providing shelter and services to illegal migrants. Unfortunately for them, the members of the Venezuelan prison gangs apparently didn't take out a subscription to the local newspapers. Tren de Aragua members migrated there in increasing numbers all summer and they immediately began "taking everything they could get their hands on" according to one local police chief. 

One gang leader who set up shop in Aurora became known as "the Cookie Monster." That may sound adorable, but don't be fooled. His actual name is Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirino, but the gang refers to him as “Galleta, which is Spanish for "cookie." He and his gang members quickly took over a local apartment complex. When one resident objected and refused to surrender his apartment, the gang brutally beat him until he required hospitalization. In another incident, two people were wounded when a shooting broke out in the complex.

To their credit, the Aurora Police Department formed a task force with the Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Bureau of Investigations to combat gang violence. They asserted that the Aurora PD "will not tolerate violent crime in our communities.” But while a few of the members have been arrested, Tren de Aragua remains in operation and the brutal gang violence continues. It's interesting to note that when the supposed "Cookie Monster" (who was a known "shot-caller" in the gang in Venezuela) crossed the border illegally in 2022, he was vetted by border authorities who reportedly "didn’t see anything concerning about his past" and released him into the country. Did they even bother to check his tattoos?

He apparently has quite a head for business, however. When "Cookie" and his thugs took over the Fitzsimons Place apartment complex, they beat up or chased off all of the paying tenants. They then began moving newly arrived gang members into the units and set up a retail theft ring robbing the local Walmart repeatedly. The new "tenants" were charged rent to stay there and operate with the gang. One investor who had a financial interest in the Fitzsimons Place complex told reporters that they had completely lost control of several apartment complexes in Aurora. Something more drastic clearly needs to be done. I feel a lot more sympathy for the people of Aurora than I do for the voters of Denver. Aurora never signed up to be a sanctuary city, but they're dealing with the brunt of the damage caused by this invasion nonetheless.