The day after Denver and Aurora were struck by immigration raids, residents and advocates were left processing what had happened to potentially dozens of their neighbors as federal law enforcement officials remained silent about how many people they detained.
Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Wednesday they were targeting more than 100 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in the metro Denver operation. But local immigrant rights groups pushed back on that Thursday, saying they believed the people detained in the roundup largely weren’t criminals.
Armed federal agents surged into communities Wednesday to detain immigrants without legal status, employing the use of flashing smoke grenades and unmarked vehicles. The raids, which started in the early morning hours, largely took place at residences, including Cedar Run Apartments in Denver and Whispering Pines Apartments in Aurora
ICE officials in Denver have not responded to multiple inquiries from The Denver Post since Wednesday asking how many people were detained in this week’s operation, how many were members of Tren de Aragua, how many have been jailed on criminal charges, and where detainees are being held and processed.
Fox News reported 30 people were detained in the Denver-area raids, but that only one was a Tren de Aragua member. Border czar Tom Homan blamed a leak that allegedly tipped off gang members as for why the enforcement action — part of President Donald Trump “Operation Aurora” mass-deportation effort — fell short.
“ICE has already arrested just short of 12,000 people in this country — the vast majority are criminals, public safety threats,” Homan said in a Fox News interview Thursday. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky, a Republican, also said roughly 30 people were arrested in the raids, although she added that all of them had “severe criminal records or gang ties.”
“Aurora is ultimately going to be a safer community with every criminal taken off of the streets,” Jurinsky said.
But activists and neighbors believe the majority of detainees aren’t criminals, and they said immigration enforcement actions they witnessed took place without warrants. Although ICE isn’t required to have judicial warrants to detain immigrants who lack documentation, agents do need them to enter homes without consent.
“We have only known about random detainments,” said Lamine Kane, an organizer at nonprofit Colorado People’s Alliance. “Most people were randomly picked up without warrants, and some people’s homes were violated by (officers) forcing into them.”
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat whose district includes Aurora, said his office has fielded concerns from hundreds of Coloradans in recent days, including worries over the possibility of the military being pulled into domestic immigration enforcement efforts.
“I believe that if someone, regardless of their immigration status, is committing violent crimes, they have no place in Colorado,” Crow said. “But I don’t support scaring or rounding up our peaceful neighbors, family members and small business owners who live, work and contribute to our community.”
Aftermath of the raid on Macon Street
Although the raids rattled residents and advocates, Aurora — a community of more than 400,000 people — was far from a ghost town early Thursday afternoon. At Latino grocery chain Lowe’s Mercado, 10777 E. Colfax Ave., it was business as usual during the lunch rush. Snippets of Spanish and English conversations floated along the aisles as bright piñatas hung overhead.
But Macon Street sat somewhat quiet, minus the occasional foot traffic. It was a stark contrast to 24 hours earlier, when a raid took place at two apartment buildings there, with locals gathering to observe a dozen uniformed federal agents in action.
Pradev Subba, who lives in a neighboring complex, told The Post that law enforcement personnel — including from Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service — detained a man and a woman. A few doors down, Jeff Kass, the manager at Peoples Pawn and Jewelry, 11430 E. Colfax Ave., described Wednesday’s scene.
“They showed up, then you read only two people (detained),” he said in front of the counter of his store Thursday. “It’s kind of excessive force.”
How has the experience left him feeling? “Weird,” Kass said.
On the other end of the street, a representative for Hope Lutheran Church, 1345 Macon St., said she would pray for all involved.
Kayla Frawley, the director of organizing for the Colorado People’s Alliance, drove to the Macon Street apartment complexes hit by raids to connect with the loved ones of detainees and offer to help with the next steps.
“These raids impact our community in horrible ways,” Frawley said. “Kids couldn’t get to school on time, people couldn’t get home and get to work — both non-immigrants and immigrants.”
On Thursday morning, Frawley said she met with a relative whose father was taken by immigration agents from a chicken shop off of Peoria Street. “Agents targeted him as he was routinely there,” she said.
Frawley said judicial warrants weren’t being used in this week’s detainments, the result of collaboration between various federal agencies, including ICE, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations.
“These last 30 hours have been devastating,” she said.
“Sweeping up immigrant community members indiscriminately”
On Wednesday, Kane also experienced the disorder of local immigration enforcement actions firsthand. His organization has not received confirmation of gang member arrests — ICE’s stated focus.
He pointed to an instance of an African immigrant detained in a parking lot while on his way to work Wednesday, something recounted to him by a family member of the detainee.
“Many targeted lived here for years and contribute to our economy,” Kane said. “Raids disrupt workplaces, separate parents from children, breaking trust between immigrant communities and local institutions, pushing families into the shadows.”
The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network also contends ICE agents “are sweeping up immigrant community members indiscriminately,” instead of targeting people charged with crimes, according to a Thursday news release.
Staff attorney Shira Hereld said she visited an apartment occupied by a young girl and her baby sister, its door “blasted open by flash-bang grenades.” Their single mother was detained by ICE.
In spite of the disarray, a few Denver area institutions, such as the First Baptist Church of Denver, 1373 Grant St., continue to offer shelter to migrants.
Kurt Kaufman, a ministerial associate, said the building wasn’t visited by ICE during the Wednesday raids, “but the impact was still felt.” They held a meeting that day to get advice from Elevation Law and brainstorm how to move forward as a community in response to immigration enforcement actions.
“We are indeed afraid and have taken steps here to prevent raids on our building,” Kaufman said. “That being said, we are standing strong and will continue to be a sanctuary for anyone and everyone that enters our building seeking it.”
Organizational support is in demand
For now, local immigration-focused organizations are working to meet surging demand for their services.
Casa de Paz works with detained immigrants directly, visiting them at the ICE detention center in Aurora and offering assistance upon their release.
Since Wednesday, executive director Andrea Loya said the group has seen an uptick in phone calls from people “wondering what to do.” Callers are seeking information on how to find detained family members.
“From what we know, there is no evidence that these people are gang members,” Loya said.
The organizations partnered with Casa de Paz are working with families to figure out where detainees are being held.
Of all of her concerns following the raids, Loya is most worried about the lingering effect on children who witnessed them.
“Once things were said and done, kids were left crying and in fear,” she said. “Little kids who were in arms because they didn’t want to go back home or exit their home — and it’s disheartening.”
In the past few weeks, Refugees + Immigrants United Colorado has also seen a rise in demand from government agencies and other groups, said founder and executive director Nga Vương-Sandoval. Those requests include providing testimony on the impact of current immigration policies and leading both professional development and cultural awareness trainings.
And she believes appeals for their expertise as refugees and immigrants will only persist.
“The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated,” said Vương-Sandoval, a Vietnamese refugee herself. “The need to protect refugee and immigrant families and children is not just necessary — it’s critical.”
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