The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed to Fox News Digital that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is leading immigration enforcement efforts in Denver and Aurora, Colorado this morning.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Denver announced the targeting of “100+ members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua for arrest and detention in Aurora, Colo. today as part of an ongoing investigation involving ICE, FBI, DEA, CBP, ATF, and U.S. Marshals.
It is unclear how many people were taken into custody.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Rocky Mountain Division, as reported by local KDVR, confirmed that the operation, which was planned to commence in Aurora the previous week, involved the deployment of agents for search warrant operations in the early hours of the morning.
The post included a photograph of a message that read, “In loving memory of those lost in drug land.”
A Cedar Run resident who has lived in the complex for 14 years told The Denver Post that “six heavily armed officers” who demanded identification asked which of her neighbors might be undocumented.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building, also the location of the ICE Denver Field Office, is seen outside Denver on July 14, 2019. (Chet Strange / AFP)
“It’s insulting and infuriating because I would never snitch on my neighbors,” she told the newspaper. “They have every right to be here. And I would never want to put anyone through that sort of stress. They just don’t deserve that.”
ERO Denver posted on X that what they did Wednesday was “remove this very real public safety threat.”
“Time and again, criminal aliens prey on their own communities with sanctuary policies, knowing they’re free to commit crimes without repercussion,” the agency said.
Fox News’ Nicole Wright contributed to this report.
