Image courtesy of X user @VicenteArenasTV

Over the past week, a suburb of Denver, Colorado found itself the subject of intense national news coverage, caught between polarized political narratives on the left and right about immigration and crime. AllSides conducted a thorough analysis to give you the full picture.

The controversy centers on a trio of apartment buildings operated by CBZ Management — The Edge at Lowry (1218 Dallas St), Fitzsimons Place (1568 Nome St), and Whispering Pines (15423 E 13th Ave) — which have become the site of repeated illegal activity by a Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua (TdA).

After security camera footage of armed TdA members at the apartment buildings spread widely on social media, local officials, including Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, the Aurora Police Department (APD), and the Denver Police Department (DPD), described TdA’s activity as “isolated” and “limited,” assuring Aurora residents the city was safe. But as more details emerged, criticism only grew, particularly on the right.

Has the TdA “taken over” entire apartment buildings? Is CBZ mismanagement to blame? Did APD do enough to mitigate gang activity with the information they had? How do non-gang affiliated residents feel? With so many facets to this story, it’s a prime opportunity for partisan actors to only communicate the sides that fit into pre-determined narratives.

We’ll give a detailed timeline of events below, but a key takeaway is that your perception of this story will likely be very different depending on your filter bubble:

  • If your only information source were right-wing news media, you might think the city of Aurora is under total siege by TdA, with a hapless mayor and police force doing nothing to stop it.
  • If your only information source were left-wing media, you might think a disadvantaged group was being exploited by right-wing politicians and media after being subjected to terrible treatment by a corporate landlord.
  • If your only information source were social media, you might think unauthorized Venezuelan immigrants are conspiring with gang members to ruin American communities.
  • And if your only information source were Aurora city officials, you might think there isn’t much of a problem at all beyond run-of-the-mill criminal activity.

High-temperature debates around policing and immigration policy are sure to continue, and they have real consequences when it’s time to vote and form policy democratically. So it’s crucial to examine information from all sides and come to a well-rounded view.

Table of Contents
June – July: TdA Activity Draws Occasional News Coverage
August: CBZ Properties Take Local Spotlight
Late August: Security Footage Sparks National Attention
Early September: Narratives Take Shape

June – July: TdA Activity Draws Occasional News Coverage

TdA was involved with violent incidents in Denver and Aurora over the summer, though the perpetrators were at first not publicly known to be affiliated with the gang. The stories were covered as straightforward, local crime pieces with varying degrees of sensationalism by Denver-area news outlets, including The Denver Post (Center bias), The Denver Gazette (Center), and local affiliates of Fox News (Right), NBC News (Lean Left), and CBS News (Lean Left).

Meanwhile, TdA was beginning to grab national headlines. Lean Left sources Associated Press, CNN, and US News & World Report covered the Biden administration’s announcement of sanctions against TdA, while AllSides could not find coverage from the right. Conversely, New York Post (Lean Right) and Fox News (Right) reported on TdA giving its members a “green light” to shoot Denver law enforcement, which apparently received no pickup from the left.

  • June 24 — Eight men conducted a violent robbery of the Joyeria El Ruby jewelry store in Denver. They were later determined by law enforcement to be affiliated with TdA. (Fox 31, 9News NBC, CBS Colorado)
  • July 11 — The Biden administration sanctioned TdA for committing violent crimes across the Americas, including “human smuggling and trafficking, gender-based violence, money laundering, and illicit drug trafficking.” (AP News, CNN, US News)
  • July 28 — Two people were shot and seriously injured near Fitzsimons Place. They were later determined by law enforcement to be affiliated with TdA. (Denver Post)
  • July 30 — A federal memo to Colorado law enforcement obtained by the New York Post warned that TdA gave its members in the U.S. a “green light” to shoot law enforcement personnel in Denver. (New York Post, Fox News)
  • July 31 — Texas authorities stated they had turned over a participant in the June 24 robbery to DPD and confirmed he is a Tren de Aragua member. (Fox 31, NewsNation, Denver Gazette)

August: CBZ Properties Take Local Spotlight

As conditions in the three apartment buildings deteriorated, a narrative of owner neglect took shape in local media. Fitzsimons Place, the site of the July 28 shooting, was condemned by Aurora authorities and its residents vacated on August 13. A few days later, Fox 31 reported on uncollected heaps of trash at The Edge at Lowry; that same evening, a shootout took place in its parking lot.

Local media largely took a sympathetic angle with the residents. The Denver Post noted CBZ’s “history of code violations,” and Denver Westword (Left) interviewed residents in all three apartments who described “absolutely horrific” living conditions. Several details suggesting Aurora authorities were aware of the problems specifically caused by TdA’s activity were not reported until the story went national late in August.

  • August 5 — In a press release AllSides could not locate, CBZ Management reportedly blamed security issues for its lack of control over the condemned Fitzsimons Place. (Denver Post)
  • August 9 — Perkins Coie, a law firm representing CBZ Management, delivered a report to Aurora authorities describing TdA’s activity at the Whispering Pines property. According to the report, gang activity began in late 2023 and escalated in April 2024. The report was not covered by news media until September 3.
  • August 13
    • Residents vacated the condemned Fitzsimons Place apartment building. One resident sued management for failing to provide him alternative housing. (Denver Post, Denver Westword)
    • A judge delayed the trial of Fitzsimons Place owner Zev Baumgarten for numerous code violations to February 2025. The decision was not covered until August 30.
  • August 18
    • Concerns mounted among residents of The Edge at Lowry, with trash going uncollected for weeks. (Fox 31)
    • Cindy Romero, a resident of The Edge at Lowry, captured footage of men with rifles walking up a stairwell and entering a room on her security camera. The footage was not covered until August 28.
    • An evening shootout took place in the property’s parking lot. (Fox 31)
  • August 21 — Six men were arrested in Aurora on charges including drug possession and vehicle theft. Four were later tied to TdA by law enforcement. The arrests were not covered until September 3.
  • August 28 — Perkins Coie sent a letter to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser describing TdA’s activity at CBZ properties. The letter was not covered until September 3.

Late August: Security Footage Sparks National Attention

The story was thrust into a national spotlight when Fox 31 posted a striking security camera clip showing a group of armed men moving through The Edge at Lowry and appearing to intimidate residents.

Many social media users shared the clip, and some traveled to Aurora to interview residents and neighbors. One interview posted to X featured a white family without including perspectives from Venezuelan residents, as many news outlets did later.

Local government officials began to comment on the situation. Mike Coffman, the Republican Mayor of Aurora, called the problems “isolated” to the three buildings and blamed “out-of-state” CBZ Management for mismanaging the properties. The Aurora and Denver police departments disputed the idea that the gangs had “taken over” the buildings and said that the panic was driving excessive 911 calls, which made it harder to do their jobs. MSNBC (Left) used these comments as proof the story was a “hysteria” being “pushed by Republicans,” and USA Today (Lean Left) covered the story similarly.

On the other hand, Danielle Jurinsky, a Republican on the Aurora City Council, earned attention in conservative media by accusing Coffman and others of failed leadership and helping the resident who captured the security clip move out of her apartment.

  • August 28
    • Fox 31 reported on the August 18 security footage from The Edge at Lowry, kicking off sustained national media attention. (Fox 31, Denver Gazette, Fox News, New York Post)
    • DPD stated, “There are reasons to believe that members of [TdA] are tied to crimes in the area. However, DPD is not aware of any apartment buildings being ‘taken over’ by this gang in Denver.”
  • August 29
    • APD stated it was “aware that components of TdA are operating in Aurora” but believed activity was limited to “isolated” incidents and refrained from making “conclusory statements.” (CBS Colorado, ABC Denver7)
    • The office of Colorado Governor Jared Polis stated to the New York Post, “According to police intelligence this purported invasion is largely a feature of Danielle Jurinsky’s imagination.” Jurinsky responded, saying the dispute had turned into “complete political football” and that she hadn’t “heard from [Governor Polis] or anybody what the plan is to address this transnational gang.” (New York Post, Fox News)
  • August 30
    • Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman stated he had requested a court order to declare the two remaining CBZ properties a criminal nuisance and allow police to clear the buildings. (9News NBC, Newsweek, National Review, Washington Examiner, Fox News)
    • APD Interim Chief Heather Morris stated in a video, “I’m not saying that there’s not gang members that don’t live in this community. But what we’re learning out here is that gang members have not taken over this complex.” The Aurora government stated the incidents were “considerably exaggerated” by some media and “isolated to a handful of problem properties alone,” acknowledging “a small Tren de Aragua (TdA) presence in Aurora” and accusing “ absentee, out-of-state” CBZ of letting problems “fester unchecked” at their properties. (CBS Colorado, USA Today, MSNBC)

Early September: Narratives Take Shape

Some local media turned attention to a group of residents of The Edge at Lowry who rejected the narrative of a “gang takeover” of the property. National outlets on the left prominently featured this perspective in explainers.

Later, The Denver Gazette and CBS Colorado uncovered a new detail, which blew up in national right-rated media: a law firm representing CBZ had been in communication with Aurora officials since July with details of the gang’s activity, making earlier official statements sound inauthentic. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump commented on the story, prompting a fact check from the Associated Press.

Some left-rated sources highlighted CBZ mismanagement and anti-immigrant sentiment. Denver Westworld reported on the delay of a trial of owner Zev Baumgarten for the properties’ multitude of code violations. The Colorado Sun (Lean Left) detailed alleged harassment of Venezuelan immigrants over the TdA activity, questioning whether “racism” was “fueling the furor” over the apartment buildings.

Other left-rated sources leaned on uncertainty to downplay the situation, which in one case was factually untrue. Snopes (Lean Left) said the security footage’s connection to gang activity was “unknown” on September 5 — even though six days earlier, Homeland Security officials had confirmed to a NewsNation reporter that the video depicts TdA members, as reported by Fox 31 the same day.

  • September 3
    • At a press conference, some residents of The Edge at Lowry spoke out against characterizations of the gang activity as a “takeover,” pointing to mismanagement by CBZ as the source of their troubles. (Fox 31, 9News NBC)
    • KDVR Fox 31 confirmed with APD that there were two confirmed and two suspected TdA members among those arrested on August 21. (Fox 31, Fox News)
    • The Denver Gazette reported on letters and emails sent in July and August by Perkins Coie urging Aurora authorities to address TdA activity in the CBZ properties. The communications indicate that APD was aware of TdA’s presence in the building since at least July. (Denver Gazette)
  • September 4
    • During a town hall, Trump commented on the situation in Aurora: “Take a look at Aurora in Colorado, where Venezuelans are taking over the whole town, they’re taking over buildings, the whole town… You saw it the other day, they’re knocking down doors and occupying apartments of people.” (AP News)
    • 9News NBC said court documents showed law enforcement “making progress” against TdA in Aurora. (9News NBC)
  • September 5
    • CBS Colorado revealed the August 9 Perkins Coie report. (CBS Colorado, Fox News)
    • Senior border officials told Fox News they are “targeting [TdA] as a priority” for enforcement. (Fox News)
    • ABC Denver7 interviewed Mayor Coffman, who said residents he’d spoken to “didn’t seem fearful” of gang members and reiterated his criticism of “out-of-state slumlord” CBZ. (ABC Denver7, NBC News)
  • September 10
    • Conservative activist Christopher Rufo alleged "that the Biden-Harris Administration subsidized the Venezuelan migrants who took over the apartments in Aurora, Colorado, through a funnel of government agencies and left-wing NGOs." He detailed his claims in a thread on X.

Evan Wagner is a News Editor & Product Manager at AllSides (Lean Left bias).

Reviewed by Editor-in-chief Henry A. Brechter (Center bias), Bridging Coordinator & Media Analyst Clare Ashcraft (Center bias) and Director of Marketing & Media Bias Ratings Julie Mastrine (Lean Right bias).

Illegal Immigration, Venezuela, Colorado, Crime, Police, Immigration