As Aurora, Colorado, continues to suffer from crime perpetrated by the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, the city’s proposed budget for 2025 includes a $10 million increase in the police budget.
Tren de Aragua, an incredibly violent criminal gang that has been spreading throughout the U.S. thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s policies, made national headlines after reports emerged about armed members of the Venezuelan gang taking over an apartment complex in Aurora.
According to reporting from the Daily Mail, Aurora City Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky confirmed that the gang had overrun the building and was extorting residents.
“This isn’t just Americans. Other Venezuelans are being extorted by this gang,” Jurinsky said.
While Democrats like Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tried to insist that this story was a lie, it was confirmed with footage that went viral on social media.
Video shows armed Venezuelan gang taking over an apartment complex in Colorado
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 29, 2024
Soon after the footage was released, the Aurora Police Department released a statement, which read: “The city and Aurora Police Department, as we previously stated, established a special task force in collaboration with other local, state and federal partners to specifically address concerns about Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) and other criminal activity affecting migrant communities.”
Now, with the ongoing problems caused by Tren de Aragua, Aurora’s proposed 2025 budget includes a budget increase for the city’s police from the current $155.7 million to $164.9 million in 2025. This funding increase also covers hiring for additional positions within the Aurora Police Department, according to CBS News.
In a statement to the outlet, Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlin explained: “Right now, we are not at our full complement of officers. Our patrol is impacted by understaffing issues, and so that’s what I’m looking at right now.”
The police chief went on to note that the budget would include an investment in technology for the police department, stating: “I want to be able to have our officers have a clear understanding of what they are responding to before they even get there. I want to see where our crimes are occurring, when they’re occurring and who they are occurring to.”
Meanwhile, Jurinsky told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the city has increased its police budget in the past, but the real problem is finding people willing to be police officers.
“We have increased funding multiple times. One of the biggest problems in this state, and other like minded states like Colorado is that people just don’t want to be police officers here like they used to,” the Aurora City councilwoman said.
