First appeared on FOX: A Republican congressman from Colorado is calling on the Biden administration to crack down on illegal immigrants who are involved with gangs in the United States.
This comes after Venezuelan organized crime groups were allegedly taking over an apartment building in Aurora.
Colorado Republican Rep. Greg Lopez, whose 4th Congressional District borders Denver suburbs, introduced a new bill this week that, if passed, would require the secretary of Homeland Security to issue detention orders for immigrants found by law enforcement to have gang ties.
Video shows armed gang members breaking into Colorado apartment believed to be occupied by immigrants
Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang are accused of taking over an apartment in Aurora, Colorado, and demanding rent in exchange for security. (Edward Romero/Councillor Daniel Jurinski)
It's one of several bills introduced by House Republicans as reports of crimes committed by illegal immigrants mount in cities and towns across the country.
Undocumented immigrants have been charged in several high-profile murder cases in the United States this year, including those of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nangaray.
In Colorado, the Denver law firm Perkins Coy released a report this week alleging that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua “controls” the Whispering Pines Apartments in Aurora.
Police say members of the Tren de Aragua gang have been arrested in Aurora, Colorado, in connection with an apartment takeover.
Rep. Greg Lopez has introduced a bill aimed at targeting alleged members of organized crime groups in Colorado. (Getty Images)
CBS News Colorado Investigators Perkins Coie reported that since taking over the complex in late 2023, they found that the gang engaged in “violent assaults, death threats, extortion, coercive tactics and child prostitution.”
Lopez sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday asking him to “immediately issue directives” to local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices to “aggressively arrest, detain, and deport members of Tren de Aragua and other known foreign criminal organizations located in Colorado,” with a particular focus on Denver suburbs like Aurora.
“Under your leadership, the United States has lost control of our southern border,” Lopez wrote.
“Millions of cases occur every year, and criminal organisations, including Tren de Aragua, are taking advantage of the situation and wreaking havoc on our communities.”
Aurora Police Respond to Allegations of Venezuelan Gang in Apartment Complex: “We're Not Occupying It”
Meanwhile, Aurora police officials have denied that a gang takeover took place.
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“We've been talking to residents here and learning from them about what's going on, and there's clearly a different situation,” Aurora Police Interim Chief Heather Morris said in a Facebook video. USA Today“I'm not saying there aren't gang members living in this area.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and the City of Aurora for comment on Lopez's letter and the bill, respectively.
