Trump labels Aurora a 'war zone,' but its Republican mayor disagrees.
In a powerful statement, 19-year-old resident Heribert Pacheco challenges the prevailing narrative: “When they say that it’s a war, that it’s this thing, that there are bad people, I know that's a lie.”
TroibNews 
**AURORA, Colorado** — Donald Trump has referred to an apartment complex in Aurora as a “war zone,” alleging that it is overrun by Venezuelan gangs vying for control of the 400,000-population city.
However, at the heart of the controversy, children were playing outside on a quiet street near a local community college while residents and community organizers prepared for a cookout and neighborhood fiesta later that day.
“This is not a war zone. We want to celebrate the community as we know it, which is a vibrant community known for its diversity,” stated Lamine Kane, an organizer with Colorado People’s Alliance, a nonprofit focused on economic, environmental, and immigrant justice. “Any rhetoric that's being divisive around the country or anywhere, we totally reject it, and we're just here to celebrate the community as it is.”
Since Trump brought attention to the apartment complex, and Aurora more generally, city officials have countered misinformation propagated by the former president, whose narrative about an “invasion” of migrants is a key theme of his campaign.
Aurora city spokesperson Ryan Luby informed PMG that local police had identified 10 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, nine of whom have been arrested. The city’s Republican mayor, Mike Coffman, a former five-term congressman, has consistently worked to alleviate concerns that his city is being overtaken by migrant gangs.
“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 remarked in a statement.
Trump first spotlighted Aurora, a blue suburb in a blue state, during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last month. He claimed that members of Tren de Aragua were “taking over” Aurora, sharing the stage with other inflammatory statements about migrant behavior in Springfield, Ohio.
In the weeks following, Trump announced plans to visit both Springfield and Aurora, which have become focal points in a conspiratorial political narrative. His campaign labeled Aurora as a “war zone,” linking it to the influx of over 40,000 migrants into nearby Denver since 2022, which they claim has brought “chaos and fear.”
Many residents of the Aurora apartments were sent to Colorado from Texas by Governor Greg Abbott as part of a strategy to draw attention to immigration issues by relocating migrants to Democratic-controlled cities and states.
During Trump’s brief visit to Colorado on Friday, he held a rally miles away from the state's largest airport before heading to Reno, Nevada. Supporters in Aurora expressed their fear of migrants, aligning with Trump's promise of mass deportations.
“People are coming in and flooding our streets,” said Cindie Day, who works in Medicare sales. Michelle MacFarland, a consultant, mentioned that she no longer allows her children to go into the city “because it’s just too dangerous — and that’s new.”
“It's not a feature of our imagination. We are seeing this,” Rep. Lauren Boebert shared with PMG.
However, Aurora officials have repeatedly refuted Trump’s claims of a Venezuelan gang takeover in the city.
“The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true,” Luby stated.
In anticipation of Trump’s rally, a number of Democratic lawmakers, including the state’s governor, both senators, and Rep. Jason Crow, who represents Aurora in the House, criticized the former president for spreading misinformation about the city.
“President Trump doesn't seem to care who he hurts with his words and his rhetoric or the consequences of what he says,” remarked Gov. Jared Polis, highlighting that crime in Aurora has “significantly down” over the past two years.
Some local officials diverged in their views from the mayor and governor. At the rally, City Council Member Danielle Jurinsky stated that police officers had approached her expressing the need for assistance in handling gang issues.
“Make no mistake of it, these pictures you see, these mugshots you see, this is not a figment of my imagination,” Jurinsky asserted.
“If we had an armed group of gang members roaming the hallways of our apartment complexes, those gang members would have never made it out of the building without being led out in handcuffs,” stated Darren Weekly, the Republican sheriff of Douglas County, which includes part of Aurora.
Republican National Committee spokesperson Anna Kelly, representing the Trump campaign, mentioned that local officials in Aurora have acknowledged gang issues and used Trump’s visit to criticize Harris.
While speaking at the rally, Trump continued promoting his dark, branded narrative.
“Kamala has imported an army of illegal alien gang members and migrant criminals from the dungeons of the third world… and she has had them resettled beautifully into your community to prey upon innocent American citizens,” Trump proclaimed. “And no place is it more evident than right here, because in Aurora, multiple apartment complexes have been taken over by the savage Venezuela prison gang known as Tren de Aragua.”
Outside one of the apartment buildings Trump criticized, resident Heribert Pacheco, originally from Venezuela, shook his head at the former president's statements. “When they say that it’s a war, that it’s this thing, that there are bad people, I know that's a lie,” he stated in Spanish.
While Pacheco acknowledged some community members “causing harm” who should face punishment, he expressed discontent with labeling all Venezuelans as problematic. “Like all people, we’re working for our families to get ahead,” he added.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
However, at the heart of the controversy, children were playing outside on a quiet street near a local community college while residents and community organizers prepared for a cookout and neighborhood fiesta later that day.
“This is not a war zone. We want to celebrate the community as we know it, which is a vibrant community known for its diversity,” stated Lamine Kane, an organizer with Colorado People’s Alliance, a nonprofit focused on economic, environmental, and immigrant justice. “Any rhetoric that's being divisive around the country or anywhere, we totally reject it, and we're just here to celebrate the community as it is.”
Since Trump brought attention to the apartment complex, and Aurora more generally, city officials have countered misinformation propagated by the former president, whose narrative about an “invasion” of migrants is a key theme of his campaign.
Aurora city spokesperson Ryan Luby informed PMG that local police had identified 10 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, nine of whom have been arrested. The city’s Republican mayor, Mike Coffman, a former five-term congressman, has consistently worked to alleviate concerns that his city is being overtaken by migrant gangs.
“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 remarked in a statement.
Trump first spotlighted Aurora, a blue suburb in a blue state, during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last month. He claimed that members of Tren de Aragua were “taking over” Aurora, sharing the stage with other inflammatory statements about migrant behavior in Springfield, Ohio.
In the weeks following, Trump announced plans to visit both Springfield and Aurora, which have become focal points in a conspiratorial political narrative. His campaign labeled Aurora as a “war zone,” linking it to the influx of over 40,000 migrants into nearby Denver since 2022, which they claim has brought “chaos and fear.”
Many residents of the Aurora apartments were sent to Colorado from Texas by Governor Greg Abbott as part of a strategy to draw attention to immigration issues by relocating migrants to Democratic-controlled cities and states.
During Trump’s brief visit to Colorado on Friday, he held a rally miles away from the state's largest airport before heading to Reno, Nevada. Supporters in Aurora expressed their fear of migrants, aligning with Trump's promise of mass deportations.
“People are coming in and flooding our streets,” said Cindie Day, who works in Medicare sales. Michelle MacFarland, a consultant, mentioned that she no longer allows her children to go into the city “because it’s just too dangerous — and that’s new.”
“It's not a feature of our imagination. We are seeing this,” Rep. Lauren Boebert shared with PMG.
However, Aurora officials have repeatedly refuted Trump’s claims of a Venezuelan gang takeover in the city.
“The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true,” Luby stated.
In anticipation of Trump’s rally, a number of Democratic lawmakers, including the state’s governor, both senators, and Rep. Jason Crow, who represents Aurora in the House, criticized the former president for spreading misinformation about the city.
“President Trump doesn't seem to care who he hurts with his words and his rhetoric or the consequences of what he says,” remarked Gov. Jared Polis, highlighting that crime in Aurora has “significantly down” over the past two years.
Some local officials diverged in their views from the mayor and governor. At the rally, City Council Member Danielle Jurinsky stated that police officers had approached her expressing the need for assistance in handling gang issues.
“Make no mistake of it, these pictures you see, these mugshots you see, this is not a figment of my imagination,” Jurinsky asserted.
“If we had an armed group of gang members roaming the hallways of our apartment complexes, those gang members would have never made it out of the building without being led out in handcuffs,” stated Darren Weekly, the Republican sheriff of Douglas County, which includes part of Aurora.
Republican National Committee spokesperson Anna Kelly, representing the Trump campaign, mentioned that local officials in Aurora have acknowledged gang issues and used Trump’s visit to criticize Harris.
While speaking at the rally, Trump continued promoting his dark, branded narrative.
“Kamala has imported an army of illegal alien gang members and migrant criminals from the dungeons of the third world… and she has had them resettled beautifully into your community to prey upon innocent American citizens,” Trump proclaimed. “And no place is it more evident than right here, because in Aurora, multiple apartment complexes have been taken over by the savage Venezuela prison gang known as Tren de Aragua.”
Outside one of the apartment buildings Trump criticized, resident Heribert Pacheco, originally from Venezuela, shook his head at the former president's statements. “When they say that it’s a war, that it’s this thing, that there are bad people, I know that's a lie,” he stated in Spanish.
While Pacheco acknowledged some community members “causing harm” who should face punishment, he expressed discontent with labeling all Venezuelans as problematic. “Like all people, we’re working for our families to get ahead,” he added.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
