New law enforcement documents reveal that Colorado officials knew the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua posed a real and present danger — but withheld the truth from the public for over a year, shielding criminal illegal aliens and endangering U.S. citizens.
AFL has obtained Aurora Police Department records revealing that officials knew about Tren de Aragua’s presence and violent crimes but failed to disclose it to the public for more than a year — until the gang took over an apartment complex, making the threat undeniable.
The documents show that the nonprofit “Organization Papagayo” placed Venezuelan illegal aliens in the Aurora apartments that Tren de Aragua later took over, terrorizing residents with shootings, stabbings, and extortion.
In August 2024, viral surveillance footage showed Tren de Aragua gang members violently taking over an Aurora apartment complex, forcing local officials to acknowledge the gang’s presence.
Despite overwhelming evidence, state and local officials continued to downplay or outright dismiss the gang’s presence — allowing crime to spiral out of control.
Just weeks after President Trump took office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested TdA’s ringleader responsible for terrorizing the Aurora apartment complex, finding him in New York.
Last week, ICE, with support from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, conducted raids across Aurora, targeting 100 TdA gang members.
But the internal records AFL uncovered show Colorado officials had known for over a year that TdA-linked Venezuelan criminals were operating in Aurora apartment complexes — yet failed to act.
An APD email from February 5, 2024, states that two apartment complexes were “currently having Venezuelan refugees placed there and we have had multiple violent cases involving those addresses with Venezuelan suspects since about June of 2023.”
The APD crime analyst also noted, “it’s difficult to ID people who have no history in the U.S. yet.”
According to APD, the “Papagayo Foundation \[placed the\] Venezuelan refugees in these properties, most likely leading to possible TdA members moving to Aurora according to HSI \[Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE agency\].”
Aurora borders Denver, which openly supports sanctuary city policies.
Mike Johnston, Denver’s mayor, compared President Trump’s deportation policies to a “Tiananmen Square moment” and released a detailed plan outlining Denver’s non-detainer policy and threatening legal action against ICE.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman later blamed Denver Mayor Mike Johnston for using federal funds from Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act to contract with nonprofits like Papagayo to move migrants from Denver into housing located in Aurora apartments — such as the now-infamous Edge of Lowry apartments featured in the viral TdA takeover video.
At another CBZ Management apartment, APD recorded that police service calls nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023 — and again between 2023 and 2024.
2022: 41 calls
2023: 84 calls
First half of 2024: 66 calls
Crimes “included various motor vehicle crimes, robbery, drugs, trespass, sexual assault and aggravated assault,” and “a shooting that injured two people.”[](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gjtgh9mWMAAbtWj.jpg)
Instead of cracking down on TdA and the criminal activity, Aurora officials condemned the property in August 2024 for “code violations” — and evicted over 100 residents.
Earlier this month, Aurora officials designated the Edge at Lowry as a criminal nuisance and announced it would be closed.
An internal APD report detailing criminal incidents at CBZ Management apartments included:
Assault on a property manager
Armed men allegedly en route to kill a property manager
Stabbing incident
Gun-related incidents
Resident scams
⚠️TdA extorting residents for 50% of their rent[](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gjth4A1XIAAadqn.jpg)
TdA’s criminal activities expanded beyond Aurora as early as January 2024, with state and local law enforcement identifying “a developing trend” of “Venezuelans stealing and selling stolen vehicles and… using fake plates.”
In one report, two Venezuelans stole a vehicle in Lakewood and tried to sell it in Aurora.
The Metro Area Task Force also circulated “a bulletin about Venezuelan prison gang \[activity\] in Colo\[rado\].”
APD contacted HSI to help identify suspects connected to shootings “believe\[d\] to be Venezuelan.”
While APD was unable to confirm “with 100% certainty” that the suspects were TdA gang members, their clothing and tattoos were consistent with HSI’s descriptions of the TdA gang members they encountered at the border.
The clothing and tattoo descriptions also matched those previously uncovered in the Sanctuary City of Chicago, Illinois.
Since late 2022, at least 43,000 illegal immigrants flooded into the Denver metro area, costing an estimated $80 million, not counting healthcare and education-related expenses.
While Colorado Governor Jared Polis recently stated that he welcomes federal agents in Colorado, Republican members of Colorado’s congressional delegation challenged him to repeal the sanctuary state laws, which:
❌ Prohibit Colorado law enforcement from complying with federal immigration detainers
❌ Prevent state agencies and law enforcement from sharing certain personal information with immigration authorities
❌ Bar state or local entities from contracting or paying from immigration detention facilities
On December 23, 2024, AFL sent letters to Governor Polis, Mayor Johnston, and nearly 250 other elected officials in sanctuary jurisdictions, warning them of the legal consequences they could face for interfering with or impeding federal immigration enforcement and for concealing, harboring, or shielding illegal aliens.
These letters requested all records and communications regarding state and local enforcement efforts to shield illegal aliens from federal law enforcement and communications between officials in these jurisdictions and foreign governments coordinating these illegal sanctuary efforts.
Citizens in sanctuary jurisdictions across the country should contact their elected officials and urge them to support the rule of law and oppose illegal and dangerous sanctuary policies.
Read more and view the documents here
X thread here
Past time to clean out the illegals and arrest those that are aiding and abetting illegals also known as criminals.
Tiananmen square? Please do so. Send in the national guard with tanks and troops, and haul these governors and mayors who have been protecting these scum in front of the tank and smash them into the pavement. Film it and broadcast for the world to see and say to the rest of them, YOU are next if we catch you harboring this scum.
DemocRATs and crybaby liberals have turned Colorado, which used to be a great state to live in, into just another DemocRAT crybaby liberal adamschitt hole.
Denver’s moron Mayor needs recalled or Voted Out and No Gangs Voting only Legal Citizens
The left simply seems to not be happy unless they are shitting all over the American taxpayer.
Aurora and Denver should be held financially liable for this whole thing