Mike Coffman, the Republican mayor of Aurora, Colorado, released a statement after former President Donald Trump‘s rally in the city on Friday, calling remarks about Venezuelan gang activity in his city “grossly exaggerated”, saying they “have unfairly hurt the city’s identity and sense of safety.”
Aurora gained national attention in August after a video circulated online of supposed armed Venezuelan gang members searching through an apartment complex in the city. Trump has since latched onto the story, using the incident as a way to bolster his claims that the Biden administration’s immigration policies have let in troves of violent criminals across the southern border.
The former president held a rally in the city, located just east of Denver, on Friday, during which he repeated his claims that Aurora has been “invaded and conquered” by migrants. He also accused Vice President Kamala Harris of allowing buildings in the city to be “infested” by gang members, and violent migrants “animals” and “barbaric thugs.”
In a statement sent to Newsweek, Coffman said in part, “The reality is that the concerns about Venezuelan gang activity in our city-and our state-have been grossly exaggerated and have unfairly hurt the city’s identity and sense of safety.”
“The city and state have not been ‘taken over’ or ‘invaded’ or ‘occupied’ by migrant gangs,” read Coffman’s statement, who added that the incidents the city has experienced have been “limited” to a few apartment complexes and police “have acted on those concerns.”
Trump has repeatedly invoked imagery about the August incident in Aurora. During his debate against Harris last month, the former president claimed that immigrants were “taking over the town.”
“They’re taking over buildings. They’re going in violently,” Trump continued. “These are the people that she and [Presidnet Joe] Biden let into our country. And they’re destroying our country.”
Coffman said in his statement that there were “thousands of people who attended” Trump’s rally on Friday, “some of whom might have visited Aurora for the first time, who were able to see firsthand the mischaracterizations of our great community.”
“I am disappointed that the former president did not get to experience more of our city for himself,” the mayor added.
Trump has also been rebuked by Republican leaders in Ohio for spreading false claims that Haitian migrants were kidnapping and eating residents’ pets. The allegations from both the former president and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, sparked safety issues in the small southwestern Ohio city for weeks, including several bomb threats to government buildings and schools.
Republican Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, who has said the allegations against Haitians are false, said back in September that “federal politicians that have negatively spun our city, they need to know they’re hurting our city, and it was their words that did it.” Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine has also rebuked the “hurtful” rhetoric.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign on Friday for additional comment.
Update 10/11/24, 11:25 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.
