WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of sending violent gangs — including the Trende Aragua (TdA) prison gang — to terrorize U.S. communities, specifically naming Colorado.
Maduro was captured by the United States during a "large-scale strike" early Saturday in Venezuela. The president stated that Maduro and his wife were flown to the US to stand trial.
During Saturday's speech, the president claimed that members of TdA took over apartment complexes, likely referring to a series of kidnappings and home invasions in 2024 at the Edge of Lowry apartments in Aurora, which was shut down last year by the city after it was deemed a “criminal nuisance.”
“Maduro sent savage and murderous gangs, including the bloodthirsty prison gang Trende Aragua, to terrorize American communities nationwide, and he did, indeed. They were in Colorado,” President Trump said.
Sixteen Venezuelan nationals, all suspected members of TdA, were taken into custody at the Edge of Lowry apartments in 2024 shortly after a viral video showing armed men entering one of the units in the complex.
The president and other Republicans claimed that TdA’s presence in Aurora was a result of Denver’s lax policies toward thousands of South American migrants who began arriving in Denver by bus earlier that year.
In response to such criticism, during a Congressional hearing last year, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston defended Denver’s policies.
“Denver made a choice as a city — not to hate each other, but to help each other,” Johnston said. “It wasn’t perfect, and it required sacrifice from all of us, but in the end, Denver came out stronger and closer than we were before.”
These issues are not new; President Trump has attacked Aurora and Colorado multiple times in the past.
During his campaign, President Trump used Aurora as an example of bad immigration policies, saying the city was taken over by illegal immigration and gangs.
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- 'I thought I was going to die': Victims recount violent kidnapping by alleged TdA members in Aurora
- 16 people taken into custody at Edge of Lowry apartments suspected of being Tren de Aragua members, ICE says
- Aurora police chief calls closure of troubled Aurora complex 'turning point' in city's fight against crime
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