On Monday, Aurora Police authorities rejected the claim that an armed gang had taken an immigrant complex in the Colorado city, with speculation being that the men were part of the Venezuelan-born Tren de Aragua gang.
Even though Aurora's interim police chief didn't rule out the presence of gang members in the area, she flatly denied that gangs had taken over the complex, prompting the city's Republican mayor to label the incident a part of an "environment of hysteria" and admit that the public outcry had hindered the authorities' ability to provide timely response.
By the time the statements from Aurora authorities had come out, however, the conspiracy had already spread like wildfire among conservative outlets, eventually prompting Republican candidate Donald Trump to claim that Venezuelans had taken over "parts of the city":
Trump on the Venezuelans that took over a building complex in Aurora, Colorado: "Venezuelan gang members have taken over parts of the city because these stupid people leading our country are allowing these criminals to come into our country... we're going to get them the hell out... pic.twitter.com/wvm0jFTQpO
— Resist Times (@resistupdates) August 30, 2024
Rather than an isolated incident, the event in Aurora is part of a trend of recent viral claims about immigrants performing acts that have been either mischaracterized or entirely fabricated. Such episodes have prompted authorities from places like Chicago and San Diego to offer timely, substantiated evidence to debunk fake news.
Nevertheless, several of these claims have gained enough traction to be amplified by by figures such as Elon Musk and former President Trump, fueling anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of the presidential election in November.
Conservative media shares false story of school bus being kidnapped by "illegal aliens" in San Diego
Last week, several conservative social-media influencers shared a false story that "illegal aliens" had tried to "hijack" some California school buses in San Diego on Aug. 27 and 28. Even Fox News got in on the act:
HOLY SMOKES: A bus driver and group of parents had to step in to prevent a group of TWENTY ADULT illegals from boarding a school bus full of children in San Diego
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) August 29, 2024
This was the second incident this week alone
Kamala and Biden did this... pic.twitter.com/OLI9sZevvB
Local authorities, however, clarified that the incidents involved migrants approaching school buses at stops, with no crimes committed or hijacking attempts made, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune, which cites a Sheriff's spokesperson:
"Sheriff's deputies determined that no one forcefully tried to stop or enter the school buses, therefore no crime was committed. It is not uncommon for community volunteers and charitable organizations to provide resources in these parts of the county, some of which operate vehicles similar to school buses."
Authorities also said several migrants were detained and processed for removal, and no criminal activity was reported, according to MSNBC.
Right wing personalities, including Elon Musk, falsely claim migrant takeover took place in Chicago
Chicago's Washington Park neighborhood was the scene of another fabricated story this week as a 911 call reported that 32 armed Venezuelans were trespassing at a local building. The call itself went viral thanks in no small part to Elon Musk who reposted it, a post that was then share by over 44 thousand of his followers:
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 3, 2024
However, as the Chicago Tribune reports, both local residents and Chicago police confirmed that no such incident took place as the call was deemed unfounded and no police report was generated.
"There weren't 32 armed people here last night. That's a lie," said Anderson Gutierrez a Venezuelan from the neighborhood told the Tribune. "Look, there's no one outside. We all know each other. No one is hurting anyone."
Ald. Jeanette Taylor, whose ward encompasses the building, also confirmed that migrants were not wreaking havoc at the property Monday saying that her community knows that migrants are not "taking over" and offering her two cents on why such rhetoric is being spread around:
"It's better for them to make it seem like Black and brown people fight amongst each other, than for them to deal with the real issue and create real policies that make everybody safe."
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