Aurora, gangs and immigration: The facts are more nuanced than you may have heard

In The NoCo

Aurora, gangs and immigration: The facts are more nuanced than you may have heard

By In The NoCo,

Published September 12, 2024 at 5:35 AM MDT

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Anthony Brabo and his wife Francy Rodriguez sit by a ground-level window at a dilapidated apartment complex in Aurora. — Anthony Brabo and his wife Francy Rodriguez sit by the window at an apartment complex in Aurora.

If you follow national news, you might think the biggest story in Colorado right now is centered on an Aurora apartment complex that was reportedly overtaken by an armed group of Venezuelan gang members. If you watched this week, you likely heard former president Donald Trump mention that gangs had 鈥渢aken over鈥� the city.

Many right-leaning media outlets across the country have reported that armed members of the Tren de Aragua gang had driven out the apartments鈥� property managers and were running the community through intimidation and violence. from city officials and the only added to the confusion. The whole viral story has become a flashpoint for the immigration debate during this presidential election year.

Colorado Sun reporter suspected there might be more to the story. She spoke with tenants at the complex as well as Aurora city leaders... and she found the situation is actually more nuanced. And while the apartments do have serious problems, being run by gang members doesn鈥檛 seem to be one of them.

Brown joined host Erin O鈥橳oole to .

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS 暗黑爆料hour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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