Aurora Police deny Tren de Aragua gang has 'taken over' the city in presser: 'Not an immigration issue'
The Aurora Police Department hosted a press conference on Friday after surveillance footage showing a group of armed men in an apartment building garnered national attention last month.
In the presser, APD Chief Todd Chamberlain shared that three of the armed suspected Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members in the video have been served arrest warrants on charges of first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm. Three more from the video have not been identifiable.
Aurora Police is still actively searching for Andersen Zambrano-Pacheco, 25, and Niefred Serpa-Acosta, 20. Naudi Lopez-Fernandez, 21, is in custody.
AURORA PD ARRESTS 10 MEMBERS OF TREN DE ARAGUA IN CONNECTION WITH APARTMENT BUILDING TAKEOVERS: STATEMENT
Chief Chamberlain said it was a "challenge" to verify gang affiliation with suspected Tren de Aragua members. Tren de Aragua, a transnational prison gang based in Venezuela, has approximately 5,000 members.
"Many of these individuals that we are talking about come from a country which does not have, strong relationships with the United States, comes from a country that does not have, a database that they are going to share or have shared," said Chamberlain. "So being able to identify these actual individuals as TdA gang members has been a struggle.
"At this time, none of the six men [in the video] have been connected to an organized criminal organization," reads an Aurora PD statement shared to X.
Chamberlain also stressed during the conference that the Aurora PD's focus is on criminal behavior. Earlier this month, Aurora announced the arrest of 10 "documented" Tren de Aragua members. Charges from those arrests include child abuse, attempted first-degree murder, illegal discharge of a firearm, and others.
"The Aurora Police Department targets criminals based upon their actions and not on their immigration status," said Chamberlain. "Immigration status is enforced by federal laws, by federal issues."
ICE CONFIRMS AURORA, COLORADO GANG MEMBERS ARE IN THE UNITED STATES ILLEGALLY, RELEASED BY BIDEN ADMIN
On September 5, ICE confirmed to Fox News that four Tren de Aragua members arrested in Aurora in relation to a July shooting were in the United States illegally from Venezuela.
Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky insists that the city needs more help from the federal government to address the problem.
"Immigration is the job of the federal government, and that's why we need help," said Jurinsky in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital.
"Our ICE detention facility will fill up, and then what? Venezuela doesn't just get to decide after clearing out their prisons that they're not going to take anyone back. The federal government needs to provide a plan," added Jurinsky.
"This is not an immigration issue. It's a crime issue," said chief Chamberlain during the press conference. "That is for the federal [government]. The immigration aspect is for the federal, it's for what they focus on. It's what they've done. It's what comes out of federal government. It comes out of the White House."
Since the beginning of the Biden administration, there have been nearly 8 million encounters with illegal aliens at the southwest border, according to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Fox News' Alicia Acuna asked Aurora PD Chief Todd Chamberlain about the popular narrative about gangs having "taken over" the city during the press conference on Friday.
"I can tell you right now, gangs are not in control of the city of Aurora," answered Chamberlain. "If you walk away with anything, that's what I will say. Are there gangs in the city of Aurora? Yes. There are. Are there gangs in most major cities throughout the United States? 100% there are."
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The Aurora Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.