ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Donald Trump continues to talk about Aurora, Colo., at campaign events and has promised to visit the Denver suburb soon. He claims the city has been taken over by Venezuelan gangs. Aurora's Republican mayor says he welcomes a Trump visit to show him that simply isn't true. Colorado Public Radio's Kyle Harris reports.
KYLE HARRIS, BYLINE: In August, a doorbell camera video started spreading that showed men with guns entering an apartment in Aurora. Since then, Donald Trump has had a lot to say about Colorado's third largest city, including in his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
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DONALD TRUMP: You look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over the towns. They're taking over buildings. They're going in violently.
HARRIS: The claim, prominent in right-wing media, was that the video proved members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the apartment building. Aurora's mayor, police and residents of the building said that's not true. But Trump continues to say it is, including this weekend and at a rally in New York last week.
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TRUMP: In the next two weeks, I'm going to Springfield, and I'm going to Aurora.
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TRUMP: You may never see me again, but that's OK - got to do what I got to do.
HARRIS: And Trump says every state in the union is under siege by undocumented immigrants. When Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman heard about Trump's plans to come to town, he saw it as an opportunity.
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MIKE COFFMAN: Bring it on. Come here. I'm excited for you to come here.
HARRIS: His advisors told the mayor not to comment on the former president's remarks about the city. But Coffman, a former five-term Republican Congressman, said he'd like to show Trump the narrative that's being presented nationally about Aurora isn't true.
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COFFMAN: There are no apartment complexes under gang control. The city's not under gang control, Venezuelan gang control.
HARRIS: Coffman wants Aurora police to brief Trump on what's actually happening in the city. On Friday, the department said it identified three of the six armed men in the viral video recorded just before a fatal shooting. One's in custody, and a police spokesperson said at this time, they have no information leading them to believe that the men they identified are in a gang. The Trump campaign hasn't scheduled or confirmed details about an Aurora visit and whether he'll tour the city with the mayor or hold campaign events. Despite Trump's claims about gangs in Aurora harming the city's reputation, the mayor still plans to vote for the Republican candidate. Even so, Coffman says he will not be attending any rallies. For NPR News, I'm Kyle Harris in Denver. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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