Colorado leaders weigh in on gang threats and housing assistance in Aurora
On Friday, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert held a roundtable discussion in Aurora to discuss the threat a criminal gang from Venezuela poses to the city.
"The purpose of this meeting was to get information out to Coloradans," said Boebert.
She heard personal testimony and testimony from Aurora Council members, who revealed that two of the apartment complexes with the most trouble had migrants placed there by nonprofit organizations with state funding.
"Deposit assistance was made available; three months' rent was made available," said Danielle Jurinsky.
According to information obtained by CBS Colorado, two organizations, Papagayo and Vive, did in fact receive tens of thousands of dollars to place migrants at the building on Nome Street, which was recently shut down by the City of Aurora.
"The CBZ properties had lower rent, a lack of consistency with providing leases, and more leniency with the number of people in each unit, which led to the aggregation of migrants at these properties," said Jurinsky.
Congressman Jason Crow, who represents the district that contains much of Aurora, says this may all be political posturing.
"I'm in Aurora right now. I'm very proud to be a member of the Aurora community, which is thriving," said Crow. "There are some politicians who have come into this district to try to get clicks on social media, to try to get national media attention, or maybe raise money for their campaigns, or are telling lies about the nature of what's happening here."
He says he is aware of what's going on and is looking for solutions.
"The bottom line is this: There's been a long-term issue with safe and affordable housing for some of our immigrants and refugees. This is an issue that I've been working on for many years," said Crow.
Boebert, who is running for a seat in a district that includes a small part of Aurora, says the threat to citizens is real and something needs to be done.
"Colorado is suffering because of our sanctuary policies," said Boebert.
There was also much criticism at the meeting of the Colorado law that prohibits local police from arresting or detaining people based solely on immigration status or even asking about their status.
That is something Republicans want to change in the next legislative session. It's important to note that existing law does not prevent the arrest of people who break the law.
