The Rocky Mountain Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced early in the morning on April 27 that it led a multi-agency enforcement operation in Colorado Springs that led to more than 100 immigrants being taken into custody. The raid took place at an “underground nightclub,” where drugs and weapons were also seized. More than 300 law enforcement officers were involved in the raid.
The DEA said that there were more than 200 people inside the underground nightclub and at least 114 of them were undocumented immigrants. The people who were taken into custody, according to the DEA, were all undocumented immigrants or had warrants out for their arrest. All other partygoers were eventually released.
The DEA also reported that more than a dozen patrons and security guards who were in attendance at the nightclub are active members of the military. Denver7 reported that military members could face a “months-long investigation and may be subject to charges in both criminal and military court” due to their presence at the event.
The U.S. Department of Justice posted on X yesterday afternoon praising the DEA for their work in the raid. “This is how you Make America Safe Again,” the statement said.
The DEA said that the individuals taken into custody were put “on buses for processing and likely eventual deportation.” The legal proceedings that will follow for each detainee are currently unclear, so it is uncertain how many individuals will face deportation or legal action.
Despite initial claims of drug trafficking and other criminal activities, authorities had not filed any federal or local criminal charges against those detained as of yesterday, according to Colorado Public Radio (CPR). Most individuals were placed in immigration detention for potential deportation, CPR said, but officials have acknowledged the challenges in securing criminal convictions due to lack of evidence.
Civil rights groups and immigration experts have criticized raids like this one for focusing more on immigration status than actual criminal activity, often leading to detentions without charges and sparking lawsuits and backlash over due process and community harm. CPR said that a similar operation earlier this year in Commerce City resulted in numerous detentions but no criminal charges.
NPR reported that the raid “appears to be one of the largest single-day arrests of people without legal status since Trump was inaugurated in January.”
