(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday — a city his campaign called a “war zone” in its announcement, claiming the city has seen an “influx of violent Venezuelan prison gang members from Tren de Aragua.”
His campaign issued a statement on Trump’s proposal for a federal effort to remove gang members who are in the U.S. illegally, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target members of cartel networks.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, a Republican, disputes that characterization and said concerns about Venezuelan gang activity 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,” Coffman said in a social media post on Tuesday.
During last month’s presidential debate, Trump cited Aurora as an example of the Biden administration’s border policy.
“They’re taking over buildings. They’re going in violently,” Trump said. “These are the people that (Harris) and Biden let into our country.”
The former president’s remarks came after a viral video began circulating in August showing armed men in the hallway of an Aurora apartment complex.
The Aurora Police Department has said it has no evidence that the people in the video are involved with any gang and they haven’t been able to link the individuals to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang.
Coffman said the incidents were “limited to several apartment complexes in this city of more than 400,000 residents.”
Nevertheless, Aurora Police have acknowledged that “components of Tren de Aragua” are operating in the area and have identified at least 10 known members. Those men face charges that include assault, burglary, kidnapping and attempted murder.
Arrest warrants have been issued for the six armed men in the viral video, though only one has been taken into custody. They face felony charges of first-degree burglary and menacing.
“The fact that President Trump is talking about immigration as much today in 2024 as he was in 2016 explains the failed policies of the last four years,” Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NewsNation’s “On Balance.”
In a statement to NewsNation affiliate FOX31, Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis pushed back on Trump’s rhetoric and said the former president will find an “incredible city with two straight years of rapidly declining crime” when he visits Aurora.
“As Coloradans, we are proud of Aurora, proud of Colorado, and proud of the United States of America,” he said.