LARAMIE COUNTY, Wyo. and DENVER — Drivers entering Colorado from Wyoming on Interstate 25 are being greeted by a controversial billboard that aims to warn travelers about what they may encounter ahead as they come into the state.
The sign reads, “Venezuela Ahead, Be Prepared” on top of what resembles a Venezuelan flag. Small text on the billboard shows it was paid for by “Clipper Properties LLC, Tim Mellon, Member.”
The name Timothy Mellon, with a P.O. Box address listing Wyoming is also found on a Federal Commission document , showing Mellon made a significant donation to Trump’s campaign in May.
Denver7 spoke with Jorge Fermín, an immigrant who recently arrived to Colorado from Venezuela, who said he was disappointed to hear about the billboard.
“We feel attacked as a community,” he said, in Spanish.
Fermín added that he believes his good intentions are being overshadowed by the recent controversy surrounding gangs in the Denver metro area.
- Denver7 has been sorting through what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to the Venezuelan gang’s presence in Colorado. Read some of our previous coverage: