Republican lawmakers called out “open border policies” of the Biden-Harris administration and local “sanctuary” policies for contributing to the Venezuelan gang reportedly terrorizing several apartment buildings in Aurora, Colorado, according to a letter sent Friday.
GOP lawmakers claimed in the letter to local and federal leaders that the “immigration crisis in Colorado” was fueled by Democratic “sanctuary policies” like those in Denver. The letter was cosigned by Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, as well as Colorado Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert, Doug Lamborn and Greg Lopez.
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s open border policies coupled with the state of Colorado’s sanctuary policies and the city of Denver’s sanctuary city status have fueled and exasperated the immigration crisis in Colorado,” the lawmakers said in the letter, obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
NEW: Mayor of Aurora, CO suggests the federal government may have funded to send the Venezualan gangs to Aurora.
The armed gangs took over apartment complexes and acted as the landlords, collecting rents. They now control parts of the city and violent crime is skyrocketing. pic.twitter.com/UcfGI9Z2hB
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 30, 2024
A Denver based law firm known as Perkins Coie investigated and confirmed that TdA had begun taking over the Whispering Pines Apartments in Aurora in late 2023, according to CBS News. Since then, the gang has engaged in numerous violent assaults, threats, instances of extortion and child prostitution.
“Multiple local elected officials and the nonpartisan Perkins Coie law firm that was hired to investigate the takeover have confirmed numerous criminal acts committed by TdA gang members including threats of murder, robbery, extortion, trespassing, assaults and battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, drug related crimes, stolen vehicles, human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors,” the letter reads.
In one instance, a consultant for the property management complex was “so severely beaten and stomped by gang members that he had to go to the hospital,” according to CBS News. The migrants also allegedly stabbed a resident for refusing to pay “rent” to their gang.
The Republican lawmakers said that the Biden-Harris border crisis is to blame.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was tasked to be the administration’s “border czar,” oversaw more than 10 million encounters with migrants since her and President Joe Biden took office in January of 2021, according to CBP data.
As migrants have poured into the country, the City of Denver has devoted over $70 million since January of 2024 to provide housing, transportation and food to over 40,000 illegal immigrants, according to the Denver Gazette.
“Non sanctuary cities and neighboring communities have suffered harm from these policies and don’t have the resources or authorities to mitigate the influx of illegal aliens and TdA gang members,” the letter reads.
The GOP letter was addressed to Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Christopher Wray, Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Patrick Lechleitner, Executive Associate Director of Homeland Security Investigations Katrina Berger and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado.
Polis and other local government officials initially denied reports of the migrant takeover, calling it a “feature” of Aurora Council Member Danielle Jurinsky’s “imagination.”
“The governor has already let the mayor know that the state is ready to support the local police department with assistance from state troopers and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if needed,” Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for Polis, told the New York Post. “But, according to police intelligence this purported invasion is largely a feature of Danielle Jurinsky’s imagination.”
The White House Press Office, Harris’ campaign and Polis’ office did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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