Denver mayor criticizes Aurora mayor over Tren de Aragua and migrant crisis.

The mayor of Aurora, Colorado, has accused the mayor of Denver of not being truthful about the arrival of violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) and other migrants in his city.

In an op-ed for The Denver Gazette, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman demanded that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston confess to his involvement in the alleged sending and housing of migrants in Aurora without informing the local mayor and other officials.

Due to the nonprofits' efforts, many Venezuelan migrants, including criminals, have ended up in Aurora, as stated by Coffman.

Aurora's mayor's office denies directing any nonprofit or agency to place migrants there, according to Planet Chronicle Digital.

An Aurora apartment complex was invaded by gun-toting TdA gang members in August, drawing national attention to the gang's presence in the city.

Last year, Coffman and Johnston held a joint press conference to demonstrate their determination in tracking down TdA gang members, in an effort to quell the national uproar surrounding the issue after the release of the video.

Johnston, a Democrat, welcomed thousands of migrants bused from Texas, while Aurora struggled with Venezuelan gangs, despite Coffman, a Republican, finding it strange that Denver wasn't affected. According to data from the Common Sense Institute of Colorado, about 45,000 migrants have arrived in the Denver metro area since December 2022.

Coffman wrote that Johnston, who is known for speaking in political soundbites, remained silent in response.

A local news report by City Journal caught Coffman's attention, stating that Johnston relocated migrants from Denver to Aurora.

The nonprofits collaborated with landlords to house migrants and cover their rental expenses.

CBZ Management, a property management company that manages three apartment buildings at the center of the viral video controversy, including the Edge of Lowry Apartments, collaborated with one of the organizations, Papagayo.

Coffman confronted Johnston about the accuracy of the article and the number of migrants sent to Aurora after reading it.

Coffman wrote that he confirmed that Denver had contracts with nonprofits that had placed migrants from Denver to Aurora, but he refused to provide the specific location or resources given to them. He defensively stated that the information was not available.

According to Coffman, Aurora's city attorney, Pete Schulte, obtained copies of the contracts between Denver and the two nonprofits and inserted the phrase "in Denver or in the surrounding communities" to enable the nonprofits to relocate migrants in Aurora without informing Aurora officials.

"Allowing Johnston to claim that it wasn't his decision to put them in Aurora, as it was the nonprofits who made the decision, provides him with cover should the information become public," Coffman wrote.

According to Coffman, Johnston's claim that the information was not accessible was refuted by a compliance provision in the contracts obtained through Schulte, which mandates that nonprofits disclose the number of migrants sent to Aurora and their housing locations.

The Denver city attorney is claiming that the reports with migrant numbers and their placements in Aurora cannot be released due to containing personal identifiers, such as the migrants' names, according to Coffman.

Coffman requested that Denver remove the names and send him the information.

According to a spokesperson from Johnston's office, Denver did not order any nonprofit or agency to relocate newcomers to Aurora.

"We have no documentation or knowledge to indicate that any city funds were used for rental support at CBZ properties. Any claim to the contrary is false."

"Nearly 43,000 people from the southern border have been supported by Denver, many of whom arrived on buses chartered by the Governor of Texas despite not intending to make Denver or Colorado their permanent residence."

Venezuela is a failed socialist dictatorship with a collapsed economy and rampant criminality, as Coffman wrote.

Unfortunately, the criminal element sometimes exploits Venezuelans here where they concentrate.

The Edge of Lowry Apartments in Aurora, specifically CBZ properties, were likely affected by the same situation.

"As the mayor of Aurora, I urge Mayor Mike Johnston to be transparent and reveal the truth about his actions, which have caused a national embarrassment and negatively impacted the city's image, potentially leading to long-term economic consequences."