DENVER — At the Cedar Run Apartments in Denver, Wednesday began with a flurry of federal agents conducting one of several law enforcement operations.
“We were hit with something really unexpected and scary,” resident Hannah Stickline told Denver7 Thursday.
There were no raids at the property Thursday, but a letter was left on every apartment door warning of such operations. Stickline said she noticed one on her door early Thursday afternoon.
The letter, addressed by Cedar Run Management, said law enforcement activities at the complex were happening “late yesterday and will continue through today.”
The letter is dated Wednesday, Feb. 5, but didn’t show up on doors until Thursday. That led some to believe another raid was imminent.
“I thought, ‘Well, does this mean that we're gonna have another repeat of yesterday?’” Stickline recalled. “Everyone is really stressed. No one's really been able to relax.”
It turns out the letter was meant to go out to residents shortly after Wednesday’s raid but didn’t.
Los Angeles-based Gelt Venture Partners, which owns the complex, sent Denver7 the following explanation, “Our intention was to quickly provide information to our residents. Unfortunately, there was a delay in our communications. We apologize for any confusion or stress this may have caused.”
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Stickline said conditions at the apartments and communication from the owners have been poor in her time living there.
“We have a long history here of really poor maintenance, and we just don't get any communication from them at all,” she said. “Anytime we try to address any issue, we're ignored or they don't reply. They're pretty absent here.”
The letter goes on to say management does not discriminate against any applicant or resident, and that “we are working with authorities to minimize the impact of these events.” For Stickline, those words are hollow, and the impact of Wednesday’s raid is still being felt.
“We were kind of like under siege. Every door was knocked on, demanding ID from people,” she remembered. “It takes time to cool down from that and see what the next days bring.”
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Eida Altman, executive director of Denver Metro Tenants Union, told Denver7 the union had spoken with more than 100 residents of the complex following the raid, some face-to-face and others through calls or texts.
Altman said the union held a communal dinner for residents at the complex after Wednesday’s operation.
“The silver lining in these horrific situations is always the good people who come out of the woodwork,” she said. “The fear and sense that everyone was out to get them is not over just after the raids yesterday.”
ICE Denver Special Agent in Charge Tim Lenzen said Wednesday the widespread raids across the metro were targeting violent criminals and gang members, specifically those of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TdA). He also said agents needed to search entire complexes because their targets were known to move apartments.
Altman does not believe the raids were targeted towards immigrants with criminal records.
“These are whoever's within reach, they'll grab,” she said. “And that, you know, only goes to make it scarier because no one knows if they're going to be targeted.”
ICE has not confirmed whether there will be more raids in the area in the coming days.
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