Without evidence, council member accuses governor, Denver mayor of smuggling migrants into Aurora

AURORA | Ongoing controversy surrounding Venezuelan immigrants in Aurora took another twist yesterday when a city lawmaker accused the governor and Denver mayor of plotting to smuggle thousands of homeless migrants into local apartments. 

“I believe that Gov. (Jared) Polis and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston conspired to sneak potentially thousands of migrants into our city, using several nonprofits in the metro (area) that ultimately put the safety of our citizens at risk,” Aurora Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky said in a statement.

Officials Denver mayor’s offices did not directly address Jurinsky’s allegations, but they defended the city’s handling of the flood of immigrants to Denver over the last two years.

Denver took what many saw as a crisis and turned it into opportunity by partnering with nonprofits to help thousands of newcomers find stability, contribute to our economy, and have the opportunity to chase the American dream,” said Jon Ewing, spokesperson for the City of Denver. “Had we turned our back, there is little doubt that many of the 43,000 people who arrived in Denver over the last two years would today be sleeping on the streets rather than in their own beds.”

The unproven charge is the latest volley from Jurinsky in the controversy. For weeks, Aurora has made national news amid debunked allegations that the city has been overrun by Venezuelan gangs. A video depicting six men brandishing guns inside a northwest Aurora apartment created a national uproar after Jurinsky helped promote it on national right-wing and local media outlets.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump amplified the false claims about Venezuelan gangs, culminating in an Oct. 11 rally in Aurora. At the rally, Trump demeaned immigrants and announced “Operation Aurora,” which, if elected, would entail rounding up and deporting tens of millions of immigrants.

Aurora police and city officials have said there are some immigrants linked to the notorious Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang present in the metro area, but their activity and numbers are limited to a few locations.

Jurinsky, Trump and other right-wing Republicans have insisted that police and the media have downplayed the issue, which they say, without evidence, is a crisis. 

Arguments over whether problems among three northwest Aurora apartment complexes are caused by crime, links to gangs or landlord mismanagement took a turn at the city council meeting Monday when Jurinsky offered a motion to investigate her allegations.

At the end of a heated city council discussion, Aurora lawmakers approved the measure on a 6-2 vote. Opposing the demand for an investigation were council members Alison Coombs and Crystal Murillo.

Both opponents were intensely critical of the request for an investigation, saying that it was a political stunt intended to discredit area Democratic leaders and attack organizations that aid immigrants.

“It’s going to target and scapegoat migrants and migrant-serving organizations,” Coombs said.

Murillo said she was concerned the investigation was an excuse to cut funding or withhold funding from nonprofit groups that help immigrants in Aurora. 

The resolution authorizes the city to submit a series of Colorado Open Records Act requests to the governor’s office, the Colorado Office of New Americans, the Denver mayor’s office and the Denver Pathways to the Integration of New Americans for emails and contracts related to providing assistance to immigrants in order to relocate them to Aurora, officials said.

Jurinsky said she thinks a communication trail will show that Polis and Johnston schemed to move Venezuelans living in Denver to Aurora.

In February, city lawmakers approved a resolution cautioning Denver and non-profit groups from “systematically” moving immigrants, or any homeless people, into Aurora.

The measure had no enforcement mechanism, and was deemed symbolic at the time.

Jurinsky, the measure’s sponsor, said the public has a right to know details about how many immigrants were placed in Aurora apartments, which nonprofit agencies accommodated the placements, and whether there was involvement from the state or city as well.

“I think that it’s incredibly insulting to think that Gov. Polis and Mayor Mike Johnston could covertly push migrants into our city without even having the courtesy to warn us about what they were doing,” Jurinsky said in the city statement.

City officials said Jurinsky is not taking phone calls from the media, and issued statements on her behalf.

Jurinsky said she hopes that the CORA requests will help Aurora residents understand how many migrants were sent to the city, what support was promised to them and whether migrants with criminal backgrounds or gang affiliations were intentionally sent to Aurora.

Jurinsky said she was prompted to push for an investigation after reading “Chaos in Aurora,” in a publication called City Journal, operated by a conservative think tank, according to a city statement.

Murrillo warned fellow lawmakers that there are dangers to Venezuelan refugees in what she termed an anti-immigrant “hunt.” 

Already fearful from televised anti-immigrant alarms raised by Jurinsky and Trump, Venezuelan immigrants are worried about being identified, fearing attacks and mistreatment.

Aurora City Attorney Peter Schulte told the city council Monday that the information gathered by Jurinsky’s request would not include any protected identifying details. 

“My understanding from talking to (Jurinsky) on this is that (she’s) not focused on the nonprofits,” Schulte said. “(She’s) focused on whether, for lack of a better term, our neighborhood jurisdictions have been good neighbors.”

Jurinsky said she wanted to know whether housing inspections, required by HUD, were conducted before placing immigrants in apartments.

Without offering details, she said conversations with city and state officials make it clear to her that inspection rules were not followed. 

“We learned that two nonprofits were placing migrant individuals and families in Aurora,” Jurinsky said.

Jurinsky closed discussion on the issue with an ominous warning.

She said she has a video depicting something alarming, but gave no details about what it was, or from where.

“I have a call out to Gov. Jared Polis. I’m asking you to call me, because I have video footage that will do bigger things than bring Donald Trump to the city of Aurora,” Jurinsky said from the council dais. “There’s only one other person on the planet that’s in possession of this video footage, and I’ll tell you that it’s haunted me to my core.”

Jurinsky went further, threatening Polis if he did not respond to her. 

“I’m asking you to call me and see the videos that I am in possession of, because we need leadership, Jared, and I’m asking you to stand alongside me,” she said. “I hope you will call me. If you do not call me, the videos will come out.”

Polis said Jurinsky should call police.

“If the city council member is holding on to evidence of a crime, she should reach out to law enforcement immediately,” said Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman. “The Governor’s office takes any potential for evidence of a crime very seriously and alerted state law enforcement of the council woman’s comments about potential video evidence, and they have been in touch with the Aurora Police Department.”