Morgan Ortagus, founder of POLARIS and former spokeswoman for the State Department, said that it is unacceptable for any U.S. apartment complexes to be taken over by Venezuelan gangs. She made this statement in an October 14 post on X.
"J.D. Vance said it best,” said Morgan Ortagus," said Ortagus, Former U.S. Dept. of State Spokesperson. "The only acceptable number of American apartments for violent Venezuelan gangs to take over is: zero. We have ceded operational control of our border to the cartels, and Biden/Harris allowed this to happen."
According to ABC News, Senator J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, said that Venezuelan gangs, specifically Tren de Aragua (TdA), are present in Aurora, Colorado. Vance supported Donald Trump’s previous statement that Tren de Aragua has "overrun" Aurora and "taken over" certain parts of the city, including apartment complexes.
Morgan Ortagus on X
| https://x.com/MorganOrtagus/status/1845874871328285059
The Washington Examiner reported that CBZ is a company based in New York owning apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that the TdA was controlling CBZ’s apartments in Aurora. The peak of the conflict occurred in 2023 when a company representative was beaten by TdA gang members. Following the attack, CBZ removed all company employees from the apartments "for safety reasons." The Aurora Police Department has indicated that at least 10 TdA members are present in the Colorado city.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), according to Yahoo News, said "Tren de Aragua is an invading criminal army from a prison in Venezuela that has spread their brutality and chaos to U.S. cities and small towns." Gonzales and others wrote to President Biden warning that if TdA is not stopped, "they will unleash an unprecedented reign of terror, mirroring the devastation it has already inflicted in communities throughout Central and South America, most prominently in Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru."
Ortagus is also noted as the founder of POLARIS National Security and served as a former spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State.
