FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican from Colorado is pushing the Biden administration to crack down on the presence of illegal immigrants involved with gangs inside the U.S.
It comes after allegations that an organized criminal group from Venezuela supposedly took over an apartment complex in Aurora.
Rep. Greg Lopez, R-Colo., whose 4th congressional district neighbors the one where the Denver suburb is located, introduced a new bill this week that, if passed, would compel the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary to issue detainers for migrants who are known by law enforcement to be affiliated with a gang.
Accused members of the Tren de Aragua gang have allegedly overtaken an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, charging rent in exchange for protection. (Edward Romero/ Council member Danielle Jurinsky)
It’s one of several bills House Republicans have introduced since reports of crime by illegal immigrants have piled up in cities and towns across the U.S.
Illegal immigrants have been accused in multiple high-profile killings in the U.S. this year, including Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray.
In Colorado, Denver law firm Perkins Coie released a report this week that said Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has a “stranglehold” on Whispering Pines Apartments in Aurora.
Rep. Greg Lopez is introducing legislation targeting alleged criminal gang members in his state of Colorado. (Getty Images)
CBS News Colorado reported that Perkins Coie found the gang engaged in “violent assaults, threats of murder, extortion, strongarm tactics, and child prostitution” since taking over the complex in late 2023.
Lopez wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday urging him to “immediately issue a directive” to the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office “to aggressively apprehend, detain and deport any members of Tren de Aragua, or other known foreign criminal gangs, located in the state of Colorado” with a specific focus on Denver suburbs like Aurora.
“Under your leadership, the United States has lost control of our southern border,” Lopez wrote.
“With millions of encounters every year, criminal networks including Tren de Aragua have taken advantage of the situation and are wreaking havoc on our communities.”
AURORA POLICE REACT TO ALLEGED VENEZUELAN GANG PRESENCE AT APARTMENTS: ‘HAVE NOT TAKEN OVER’
Meanwhile, Aurora law enforcement officials are denying that there has been a gang takeover.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We’ve been talking to the residents here and learning from them to find out what exactly is going on, and there’s definitely a different picture,” Interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris said in a Facebook video, according to USA Today. “I’m not saying that there’s not gang members that don’t live in this community.”
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS and the city of Aurora for comment on Lopez’s letter and bill, respectively.