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On the ground in the Colorado city where President-elect Trump promises to remove ‘savage gangs’ of illegals

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On the ground in the Colorado city where President-elect Trump promises to remove ‘savage gangs’ of illegals

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In a grocery store parking lot on a near-freezing afternoon, a man held a cardboard sign identifying himself as a migrant and asking for help. Next to him, a woman and at least one small child sat on the ground, their shoulders hunched against the biting breeze.

Such sights have become ubiquitous for those living in Aurora and the broader Denver area. Migrants living in the streets, asking for money or running up to cars stopped at intersections with squeegees, trying to make a quick buck washing windshields.

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Less visible to the average Aurora resident is the violent gang crime that catapulted the city of about 400,000 to national prominence.

“We’ve seen extortion, we’ve seen murders, we’ve seen a kidnapping,” former ICE field office director for the Denver region John Fabbricatore said, referencing crimes allegedly linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

These problems “are a direct result of what’s happened at the border in the last four years, and also allowing all these people to come in that were not vetted. We did not know who they are. And now we have more gang members entering the community,” Fabbricatore added.

Video showing alleged gang members carrying guns inside an Aurora, Colorado, apartment complex went viral in August 2024. This week, local outlets reported a municipal judge had ordered the troubled apartment shuttered due to “unmitigated violent crimes and property crimes.” (Courtesy of Edward Romero)

COLORADO MAYOR SPEAKS OUT AFTER VIDEO OF ARMED VENEZUELAN GANG IN APARTMENT GOES VIRAL: ‘FAILED POLICY’

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A viral video of alleged Venezuelan gang members carrying guns through an Aurora apartment complex last August put a spotlight on immigration in the Denver area. President-elect Donald Trump visited the city during his re-election campaign last fall, detailing his “Operation Aurora.”

“Upon taking office, we will have an ‘Operation Aurora’ at the federal level to expedite the removals of these savage gangs,” Trump said during his Oct. 11 rally. He said he would use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to “target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American soil.” 

While local police initially denied that gang members had “taken over” the Edge at Lowry apartments, local outlets reported this week that a judge granted the city an emergency order to close the 60-unit complex. The city described the complex as “an epicenter for unmitigated violent crimes and property crimes,” and referenced the December kidnapping and torture of a migrant couple at the apartment complex by suspected TdA members.

Nine men were charged in connection with the crime this week.

General view of apartment buildings at 12th and Dallas on Dec. 17, 2024, the day after a reported home invasion and kidnapping. Police initially apprehended 19 suspects. Three were subsequently released after investigators determined they were not involved in the crime, police said. The other suspects who have not yet been charged are in ICE custody. (Fox News Digital)

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1.4 MILLION ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN US HAVE BEEN ORDERED DEPORTED, BUT HAVE YET TO BE REMOVED: OFFICIAL

The arrests come on the heels of a blistering op-ed by Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, accusing his Denver counterpart of offloading migrants in the smaller city “via the cover of two nonprofit organizations” and blocking efforts by Aurora to find out how many migrants had been deposited in the city.

“Aurora has suffered from a national embarrassment that has harmed the image of our city in a way that could have lasting economic consequences,” Coffman, a Republican, wrote. “As the mayor of Aurora, I’m asking that Mayor Mike Johnston be transparent and tell the truth about what he did.”

A spokesperson for Johnston’s office previously told Fox News Digital that “Denver did not direct any nonprofit or agency to place newcomers in Aurora.”

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain declined to be interviewed for this story. Mayor Coffman’s office did not respond to multiple interview requests.

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Fabbricatore said both mayors were “guilty of trying to ignore” the illegal immigration problem, especially when TdA first entered the community.

“There’s been a big lack of communication between Aurora and Denver,” he said. “Both mayors need to come forward and admit that we have a criminal, illegal, alien problem, that we have a gang problem, and that’s what needs to be dealt with.”

John Fabbricatore speaks with Fox News Digital on Jan. 8, 2025, in Aurora, Colorado. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)

COLORADO VIDEO SHOWS TREN DE ARAGUA GANG BEATING APARTMENT COMPLEX WORKER IN EXTORTION BID, COMPANY SAYS

Fabbricatore praised Trump’s appointment of former acting director of ICE Tom Homan as “border czar,” calling Homan a “cop’s cop” and predicting that federal agents would be able to carry out “targeted enforcement” against “criminal illegal aliens.”

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People living in Aurora who Fox News Digital spoke with broadly said they felt safe in the city and hadn’t personally noticed gang problems.

Al, who relocated to Aurora from Chicago four years ago, said crime in Colorado is “nothing in comparison.”

“I know a lot of people complain about the gang issues, but I personally have not even noticed,” he said. “The only real issue I see here is the homeless population is quite high, and I do feel for them.”

Overall crime in the city of about 400,000 people was down slightly in the first eight months of 2024 compared to the year prior, an analysis by local station Denver7 found. And while gang-related assaults did spike 33% compared to 2023, a 5-year average of reported crimes shows such assaults down significantly from 513 to 221, police data showed. 

Locals were split on whether they supported Trump’s promised mass deportations.

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“If they came in illegally, they need to go back and come in the right way,” Roosevelt told Fox News Digital.

Roosevelt and Clarence spoke to Fox News Digital on Jan. 8, 2025, in Aurora, Colorado. (Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi/Fox News Digital)

But Clarence, originally from Memphis, Tenn., worried about the impact on immigrants who have been in the area for decades.

“These folks [have] been here all this time,” he said. “How are you going to push these folks from their home? I don’t understand that one. They’ve been here longer than I have.”

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Robert minced few words, suggesting ICE “deport Trump” instead.

Trump has previously said removing illegal immigrants who have committed crimes is the priority, but that his administration is prepared to target otherwise law-abiding immigrants after that.

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San Francisco, CA

Missing woman last seen in San Francisco found dead in Texas after 53 years

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Missing woman last seen in San Francisco found dead in Texas after 53 years


On Wednesday, San Francisco police closed the case of a missing woman who was last seen in the city in 1973.

Police said 27-year-old Cheryl Lanier was last seen in 1973 in San Francisco, and her initial missing person’s report was filed in 2010. For years, the department’s Missing Person Unit worked on the case, but it remained open and unsolved.

In July 2025, police said they received a tip out of Harris County in Houston, Texas, advising that a deceased “Jane Doe” could be Lanier. After a DNA analysis, police determined the “Jane Doe” was Lanier and closed the case after 53 years.

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Denver, CO

Could the Dolphins Do Another Deal With Denver?

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Could the Dolphins Do Another Deal With Denver?


As the NFL draft moves farther into the rearview mirror and the offseason program continues to march on, linebacker Jordyn Brooks remains one of three significant Miami Dolphins veterans looking for a contract extension.

And while new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said at draft time that running back De’Von Achane was not available for trading purposes, he hasn’t made the same declaration for either Brooks or center Aaron Brewer (while it’s fair to add that Sullivan wasn’t asked specifically about the latter two at draft time, he easily could have ended all speculation by adding them to Achane’s name).

Instead, what we have are Sullivan’s prior words that he always would listen if another GM were to give him a call.

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That’s important to remember when it comes to Brooks when we hear or see reports around the league about teams in the market for a linebacker.

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The Dallas Cowboys were one such team heading into the draft, but they acquired former starting San Francisco 49ers starter Dee Winters for a fifth-round pick, so it would seem they’re not longer shopping around.

Now comes a report that the Denver Broncos could be looking to add a linebacker to a defense they believe could lead them to a Super Bowl after they secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs last year before losing starting QB Bo Nix in the divisional round.

An NFL executive told Denver Broncos On SI that they could be looking to make a move that seemed to describe the Dolphins and Brooks to a T.

“The Broncos, I am certain, are going to be watching every cut for a terrific linebacker who can upgrade that,” the executive told Broncos On SI. “It’s the only weak link on their defense. If they could get one dominant player that another team couldn’t afford or doesn’t want to pay because they’re not in contention, they could be scary next year.”

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The key line in the executive’s quote was about a dominant player that a team doesn’t want to pay because they’re not in contention.

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Wow, might as well have stamped Brooks’ picture on that comment right there.

Brooks was dominant last year, for sure, when he earned All-Pro honors and it’s not realistic to expect the Dolphins to be in contention in 2026 after their roster overhaul that ended with more than 60 percent of the team’s salary cap going to players no longer around.

Under normal circumstances, extending Brooks would look like a no-brainer for the Dolphins given his ability, leadership and culture-setting characteristics, but he’s looking for a payday and he’s also going to be 29 years old during the 2026 season.

So instead of a slam dunk, the Dolphins have to ask themselves have kind of financial commitment they want to make to a linebacker who likely will be in his 30s when the team is ready to compete.

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Brooks has no guarantees this year with a $7.8 million base salary and he’s set to become a free agent next offseason when his contract goes into void years. If a move were to happen with Brooks, it almost assuredly would take place after June 1 when the Dolphins would save $8.4 million with a trade.

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Brooks currently has a $10.9 million cap number for 2026 and an extension likely would lower that number, which makes it very intriguing that it hasn’t happened yet or that the Dolphins did not restructure his contract to lower his cap number — the way they did with Achane and Brewer.

But any decision to trade Brooks would not be easy because the Dolphins, after all, do need good players and good leaders to establish a foundation in the first year of the Jon-Eric Sullivan/Jeff Hafley regime.

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WHAT A TRADE COULD LOOK LIKE

If the Broncos indeed were to place a phone call to Sullivan at some point, there probably isn’t a strong likelihood that the Dolphins could get a replay of what they got when they sent wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to Denver this year.

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That deal saw Miami give up Waddle for picks in the first and third rounds, with the teams swapping fourth-round choices to the benefit of the Broncos for 19 spots.

But Waddle is only 27, was under contract for three more years and plays a more premium position.

So thinking about getting a first-round pick for Brooks would not seem realistic, though maybe Denver would be willing to pay a bigger price if the Broncos indeed feel that the linebacker could be the final piece to a Super Bowl puzzle.

As was the case with the Cowboys, this is a situation to monitor because the idea of a trade involving Brooks really can’t be summarily dismissed until he signs a contract extension and we’re still waiting on that.

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Seattle, WA

Who will be the next Seahawks owner? One possible bidder invests in the 49ers

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Who will be the next Seahawks owner? One possible bidder invests in the 49ers


The Seattle Seahawks’ new ownership group may be just like the old one: a team of basketball owners.

In addition to being the first known bidders for the Seahawks, Mittal and Grousbeck were the only names listed on their letter of interest to the Allen Estate. Since Mittal lives in London, Grousbeck would likely be running operations from Seattle and live there part-time, as per Sportico.

But wait, there’s more.

Vinod Khosla, an investor in the division rival San Francisco 49ers, has also been named as a potential buyer. Last year, Khosla was one of a few nearby investors to purchase equity in the 49ers, with the team’s total valuation reaching north of $8.5 billion at the time. The specifics of the individual stakes were not made public, but Sportico reports that Khosla’s was the largest of the group.

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The Seahawks are valued at just under $7 billion, but they will likely be sold for more. If Khosla were to purchase the team from Jody Allen, he would obviously need to sell his stake in the Niners. This type of move is becoming increasingly common in today’s NFL, which has seen former Pittsburgh Steelers minority owners David Tepper and Josh Harris acquire the Panthers and Commanders, respectively.

Harris, who bought a controlling interest in the Commanders in 2023, purchased the team from Dan Snyder for over $6 billion, the largest figure for such an acquisition for an NFL franchise. No matter who ends up purchasing the Seahawks from the Allen Estate, Harris’s record will surely be broken.



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