DENVER — Questions remain one day after federal law enforcement agencies conducted several raids across the Denver metro on Wednesday.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not yet provided official details about the number of arrests made or how much the operations cost taxpayers.
Fox News, which had a news crew embedded with law enforcement officers during the raid, said 30 people were arrested on Wednesday, far short of the 100+ members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) who authorities said were targeted. ICE has not confirmed the number of people arrested, but a spokesperson for the agency told Denver7 on Thursday that it would be issuing a press release soon.
At some apartment complexes, residents reported agents going door to door asking people for their identifications and whether they knew their undocumented neighbors.
“I got a bang on my door, and it was ICE,” said Hannah Strickline, a tenant at Cedar Run Apartments in Denver. “They were all heavily armed and demanding IDs from me and asking me to snitch on my neighbors.”
ICE Denver Special Agent in Charge Tim Lenzen said Wednesday that agents needed to search entire complexes because their targets were known to move apartments.
Local
At least 1 TdA member arrested in federal operation targeting the gang in Denver
In an appearance on Fox News on Thursday, President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan accused immigration advocates of interfering with the raids. He also said an alleged leak to the news media about the raids last week may have played a role in reducing the number of people ICE was able to arrest.
Since Trump took office, federal law enforcement, including ICE, have been more engaged on social media about their operations, posting videos of agents executing raids and immigrants being put on planes to be deported. While raids and deportations were also conducted during previous administrations, law enforcement agencies did not post videos and photos on social media as often as they have in the first two weeks of the Trump administration.
Last year under the Biden administration, the U.S. deported 271,000 people, according to ICE. That was the highest number of deportations since 2012 when the U.S. deported 409,000 people.
ICE said one of the reasons raids are necessary is because so-called "sanctuary cities" don't cooperate with federal law enforcement, forcing them to make arrests in the community instead of picking up criminals from jail.
The City of Denver does cooperate with ICE under certain circumstances.
In January, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said the city would cooperate with ICE and other federal law enforcement when it comes to violent criminals. He said city officials will provide basic information, such as when someone who ICE is interested in will be released from jail.
Johnston said when it comes to non-violent immigrants, Denver police will only provide limited support to ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies. According to the mayor’s four-part plan, this support “will be determined on a case-by-case basis, but city police will only respond to requests to protect public safety and keep the peace.”
Johnston said Denver PD will not be involved in arresting non-criminal immigrants.
Denver7 Investigates
None of the 49 detainees in an Adams County DEA raid are facing charges
Wednesday's raids were not the first to occur in the Denver metro area. On Jan. 26, 49 people were detained as DEA officials descended on what was billed as an “invite-only party” for members and associates of TdA. Forty-one of those detained were in the U.S. illegally, officials said.
The Adams County District Attorney’s Office, though, told Denver7 that no agency – local or federal – has brought forth a report from that operation to consider filing charges. Chris Hopper, a public information officer for the DA’s office, said his office was not contacted about the raid before, during or after it.
In a sitdown interview with Denver7 Investigates last week, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen explained why the drugs and weapons found in the operation hadn’t led to charges – but suggested charges could still be filed.
“The truth is that there were drugs present and there were guns present, but that operation unfolded so quickly that when the lights came on in the club, all the drugs fell on the floor,” Pullen told Denver7 Chief Investigator Tony Kovaleski. “I can't charge a person with drug trafficking unless I can prove it was in their hands or in their pocket. And in this case, the weapons hit the floor, the drugs hit the floor. So no one was charged with drug trafficking from that incident, but there may still be other charges coming.”
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman called the recent raids "a symptom of a broken immigration system." He said his city "has never been a sanctuary city and has always cooperated with federal Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officials and will continue to do so."
- Read Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman's full statement below
"The City of Aurora, unlike Denver, has never been a Sanctuary City and has always cooperated with federal Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement (ICE) officials and will continue to do so to the fullest extent allowed under state law.
The ICE raids, occurring all across our country, are a symptom of a broken immigration system where it has been far too easy to come to this country illegally and far too difficult to enter legally.
It is my hope that Republicans and Democrats in Congress will work together to pass a comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders, helps grow our economy, and is compassionate to those seeking to escape persecution."
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