The arrest of a longtime immigrant rights activist — who made national headlines when she took sanctuary in a Denver church during President Trump's first term — has rattled advocates and immigrants across the country.

Why it matters: Despite the Trump administration's pledge to focus on the "worst of the worst," Jeanette Vizguerra joins a growing list of nonviolent figures targeted in the immigration crackdown.

• Immigrant rights groups worry a string of arrests signals a new phase in immigration enforcement and an effort to silence critics.

Driving the news: Vizguerra was on break from her job at a Target store near Denver on Monday when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained her, according to Jordan Garcia, an advocate with the American Friends Service Committee.

• Garcia told the New York Times that agents said to Vizguerra: "We finally got you."
• In a statement to Axios Denver, an ICE spokesperson defended Vizguerra's arrest, calling her "a convicted criminal alien ... who has a final order of deportation issued by a federal immigration judge."

The big picture: Vizguerra's case follows other recent high-profile detentions of nonviolent people by federal immigration agents.

• Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was arrested by immigration authorities this month despite being a legal permanent resident.
• Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University graduate student from India who was teaching at the D.C. institution on a student visa, was detained this week and accused of "spreading Hamas propaganda." His lawyers say he's being "punished" because his U.S. citizen wife is of Palestinian heritage, per Politico.
• Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney reported being "in chains" after ICE detained her for 12 days over visa paperwork issues before allowing her return to Vancouver.

By the numbers: About 50% of people in ICE custody have no prior criminal conviction or pending charges, according to agency data updated through March 7.

Between the lines: ICE under Trump has also increasingly targeted immigrants with legal status or without deportation orders, including Rhode Island doctor Rasha Alawieh and Camila Muñoz, a Peruvian woman married to a U.S. citizen.

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Jeanette Vizguerra's arrest appears to have supercharged the left's resistance efforts in Denver to a level not seen since President Trump's first term.

Why it matters: It's a sharp reversal from the more reserved response during the early weeks of his second term, signaling liberals and leftists are focusing on opposing Trump in an increasingly public manner.

Driving the news: Hundreds of people attended a rally yesterday at the Auraria Campus to denounce Vizguerra's detainment, along with the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil.

• The protesters called for their immediate release.

Catch up quick: On Monday, a planned pro-immigrant march drew hundreds of attendees to downtown Denver and featured labor union and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta.

• Last month, hours after ICE conducted large-scale immigration raids in Denver and Aurora, thousands flocked to the state Capitol to protest the Trump administration.

Between the lines: The activism is meant to target an administration that appears increasingly willing to curb protests it doesn't agree with.

State of play: Democrats, progressives and far-left activists have mobilized this month with mass demonstrations and at congressional town halls where they've gathered to call attention to politics and policies they oppose.

What's next: Progressive titans U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are scheduled to host a "Fighting Oligarchy" rally at Denver's Civic Center Park tomorrow.

• Close to 20,000 people are expected to attend, per Denverite.

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Ah, spring. The season of wild wind, afternoon showers, blossoming flowers and more daylight.

Driving the news: The Denver area will gain nearly 3 hours between today's spring equinox and the summer solstice on June 20, per NOAA's solar calculator.

How it works: Here in the Northern Hemisphere, latitudes gain more daylight in the spring compared to areas closer to the equator.

😎 The bottom line: Here comes the sun.

📈 Unemployment in Colorado in 2024 was worse than originally thought after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revised preliminary data to show last year's average rate was 4.3% instead of 3.9%. (Colorado Sun)

🚨A "self-admitted" MS-13 gang member out of jail on bond on three felony cases fired 80 rounds from an AR-15, injuring three Pueblo officers, before he was killed, Pueblo police chief Chris Noeller said yesterday. The officers are in the hospital and in stable condition.

• "The blood of my officers lay at the steps of the Capitol" because of Colorado's "soft-on-crime legislation," Noeller said. (Colorado Sun)

😡 Cherry Creek Shopping Center employees are expressing frustration over a new policy requiring they pay for parking while on the clock at the ritzy mall. (Denver7)

🗳️ Democratic campaign organizer Katie Wallace was picked to fill a Boulder County seat vacated by former Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis of Longmont, who resigned amid controversy. (CPR)

⛽️ Oklahoma-based QuikTrip is suing the city of Denver over its new restrictions on where gas stations can be built. (DBJ 🔑)

Denver's getting an immersive — and potentially explosive — gaming experience.

Zoom in: The interactive game Beat The Bomb opens next month at York Street Yards.

How it works: The game gives groups of up to six people an escape-room-style mission to disarm a "bomb" filled with paint, foam or slime.

• Suited in hazmat gear, the experience intends to mimic a real-life video game, requiring teams to work together to disarm the bomb before the 60-minute clock expires.

If you go: Booking availability begins April 4.

• Tickets start at $49.95 per guest, with a four-person minimum, which includes photos and videos. The game is open to families and kids ages 8 and older; food and drinks are also available.

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