Metro Denver ICE raids prompt more questions than answers
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Federal law enforcement on Wednesday arrested one person with known gang ties after deploying nearly 400 agents to conduct large-scale immigration raids in Aurora and Denver.
The big picture: U.S. immigration authorities said the raids targeted more than 100 alleged members of Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan gang with a presence in the metro area.
- Agents made about 30 arrests overall, Fox Business reported, with one U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official suggesting intelligence leaks may have tipped people off.
Yes, but: It's still unclear where those who were arrested are being detained, what charges they face, and where they will be prosecuted.
Why it matters: The lack of transparency from federal immigration officials leaves the public in the dark about a major immigration enforcement operation that spurred panic across the metro area.
Zoom in: While Wednesday's raids allegedly targeted specific individuals, some news outlets reported authorities going door to door, suggesting some agents may have conducted broader sweeps.
What they're saying: Federal law enforcement contacted "everybody in that area looking for the targets," Homeland Security acting special agent in charge Tim Lenzen said during a press conference Wednesday.
The other side: "This was … to scare people to think that if they didn't turn themselves over, that there would be violence on them and their family," local immigrants rights activist Victor Galvan told Axios Denver on Wednesday outside the city's Cedar Run Apartments.
Between the lines: A spokesperson for the ICE field office in Denver did not return multiple requests for comment Thursday.
Zoom out: President Trump's administration is for now using a "catch and release" program due to limited detention space at U.S. immigration facilities.
- At least 461 undocumented immigrants in custody nationwide have been freed under this strategy, writes Axios' Brittany Gibson.
- Locally, one suspected Venezuelan gang member arrested in Colorado by the Drug Enforcement Administration in January walked free after prosecutors declined to press charges, 9News reported.
Go deeper: Aurora lawmaker says Buckley won't be immigrant detention center