DENVER — The city of Aurora, Colorado, has ordered the closure of an apartment complex where armed men alleged to be Venezuelan gang members were seen on video breaking into an occupied unit, reinforcing Donald Trump's campaign against immigrants campaign promises.
On Wednesday, city spokesman Ryan S. Luby said the Edge Mall in Lowry will close sometime next month after the city obtained an emergency court order to close the five-building complex. complex of buildings as it has become a criminal nuisance.
The city filed the petition last week after several armed and suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, also known as the TDA, allegedly kidnapped, tied up and pistol-whipped two people at the complex last month.
City officials did not say what sparked the dispute.
"We need to take control of the property because it's completely unmanaged," City Attorney Pete Schulte said at a news conference this week. "There's no one in that place who would stop an individual from committing a crime."
He said the complex and its intruders posed an imminent threat to the public's welfare and safety.
The Aurora Police Department said in a statement that nine of the 16 people involved in the alleged kidnapping were charged with various charges, including first-degree assault, aggravated robbery and racketeering.
It was unclear whether any of the 16 were gang members. All were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, police said.
About 60 units in the complex are occupied, including some vacant apartments illegally used by gang members and squatters, city officials said, adding they are working with Arapahoe County and other community partners Cooperate to provide relocation assistance to legal residents.
City officials said that during the investigation, police discovered items containing firearms hidden in the walls of some units. Records show police searched five apartments on Dec. 17 and found at least three handguns, magazines and multiple knives.
The building is owned by Five Dallas Partners LLC and operated by CBZ Management LLC. Neither responded to phone and email requests for comment.
The apartment buildings drew national attention in August after a video of suspected armed gang members breaking into occupied apartments went viral.
Trump, who was campaigning at the time, took aim at Aurora, claiming the city was overrun by Venezuelan gangs, and he repeatedly claimed during the presidential debate that the TDA had taken over the apartments.
Weeks later, at a campaign rally in Aurora, Trump revealed his plans to target undocumented gang members in mass deportations that would begin once he takes office. He called his initiative "Operation Aurora."
At the time, local authorities acknowledged the gang's small presence in the city but insisted it had not taken over the complex. Some residents believe the accusations are exaggerated, but others say they believe this is happening.
As of July 2024, there were 435,719 immigrants in the United States who were convicted of criminal offenses and were not in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to the federal agency. It did not say how many of them may be gang members.
An alleged kidnapping last month sealed the fate of Lowry's Edge, which city officials described as a distressed property with many "illegal tenants who moved into vacant apartments without applying for a lease or application."
Mayor Mike Coffman declined to comment.
"The City of Aurora has identified a significant problem that is impacting our community," Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said at a news conference announcing the closure. He called the property "crime-ridden."
Jessica Prosser, director of Aurora's Department of Housing and Community Services, said the property is uninhabitable, citing a trash abatement order and $70,000 in unpaid water, utility and gas bills. pay.