By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
Denver prides itself on progressive values and compassion for its diverse communities. But recent events have exposed a troubling reality: the city’s criminal justice policies—specifically low cash bail for serious felony offenses and short notification windows for ICE detainers—are creating a revolving door for dangerous criminals, putting our neighborhoods at risk.
The case of Bayron Turcios-Murillo, a confirmed Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang member, is a stark example of how these policies fail to protect the public while allowing violent offenders to slip through the cracks.
On April 17, 2025, Bayron Turcios-Murillo was arrested in Denver for felony drug charges, allegedly possessing nearly 1,000 fentanyl pills and powder—an amount that could devastate countless lives amid Colorado’s already staggering fentanyl crisis, which claimed over 1,000 lives in 2023 alone.
As a confirmed member of TdA, a Venezuelan gang designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of Justice, Turcios-Murillo isn’t just a small-time dealer; he’s part of a transnational criminal network known for drug trafficking, human trafficking, and violence.
Yet, just four days after his arrest, he posted a mere $10,000 cash bond and walked free.
To make matters worse, the Denver Sheriff Department gave ICE only a 45-minute window to take him into custody under a federal detainer, far short of the standard 48 hours. ICE couldn’t make it in time, and now Turcios-Murillo, listed as “transient” with no known address, is back on our streets.
This isn’t an isolated incident.
In February 2025, Abraham Gonzalez, another suspected TdA member, was released from a Denver jail after the Sheriff Department provided ICE with just one hour’s notice—again, far less than the 48-hour window requested.
Gonzalez fled upon release, assaulted ICE agents during his apprehension, and sparked national outrage, with Rep. Jim Jordan confronting Mayor Mike Johnston in a congressional hearing about Denver’s sanctuary policies.
These cases reveal a dangerous pattern: low cash bail and inadequate ICE detainer notifications are allowing violent gang members to return to our communities, where they can continue to prey on the vulnerable.
Let’s start with the issue of low cash bail.
A $10,000 bond for a felony drug charge involving nearly 1,000 fentanyl pills, a gang member, and a flight risk (as a transient) is shockingly inadequate. In Colorado, judges are supposed to set bail based on flight risk and public safety, but recent bail reform efforts—intended to reduce wealth-based detention—have led to absurdly low bonds for serious crimes.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania has argued that cash bail leads to unfair detention for the poor, and studies, like one from the Brennan Center for Justice, suggest bail reform doesn’t significantly increase crime rates. But these arguments fall flat when applied to someone like Turcios-Murillo, whose alleged offense could fuel a deadly drug epidemic and whose gang ties signal a clear threat to public safety.
A low bond in such a case doesn’t ensure justice—it ensures a quick return to the streets for someone who can easily access the funds, as Turcios-Murillo did.
The reality is, low bail for serious felonies prioritizes ideology over safety, leaving communities to bear the consequences.
Equally troubling is Denver’s handling of ICE detainers. Federal detainers request that local agencies hold individuals for up to 48 hours beyond their release to allow ICE to take custody for immigration proceedings.
But Denver’s sanctuary policies, formalized in Ordinance 19-1325, prohibit honoring detainers without a judicial warrant and often result in minimal notice to ICE—sometimes as little as 45 minutes, as in Turcios-Murillo’s case.
ICE has repeatedly stated, as noted on their website, that such non-cooperation “risks both public and officer safety, and unnecessarily expends ICE’s already-limited resources.” The short notification windows make it nearly impossible for ICE to apprehend individuals, especially those like Turcios-Murillo and Gonzalez, who are gang members with a history of serious crimes.
When these individuals are released back into the community, often with no fixed address, they become ghosts—free to continue their criminal activities while law enforcement scrambles to track them down.
The public safety risks are undeniable. TdA, the gang both Turcios-Murillo and Gonzalez are tied to, has been linked to fentanyl trafficking and violent crimes across the U.S., including in Denver.
In 2019, Menjivar Cordova, who was released after less than two hours’ notice to ICE and later committed additional crimes, including assault, further illustrate the dangers of these policies.
Each release is a gamble with the safety of Denver residents, particularly in neighborhoods already grappling with gang violence and the opioid epidemic.
Supporters of Denver’s policies argue they protect immigrant communities by fostering trust with law enforcement, encouraging crime reporting without fear of deportation.
Mayor Johnston has claimed the city cooperates with ICE on criminal matters, but the reality tells a different story. A one-hour notice for Gonzalez, a 45-minute notice for Turcios-Murillo—these aren’t acts of cooperation; they’re deliberate obstacles.
As ICE noted in a 2020 report, jurisdictions that fail to honor detainers often “put politics before public safety.” Meanwhile, the community’s frustration is palpable.
X users reacting to Turcios-Murillo’s release expressed outrage, with one stating, “NOTHING HAPPENS TO CRIMINALS HERE. MUCH LESS TO THE INVADERS.”
This is the type of stuff that's going to entice these scumbags to come to our state. Poison our People, in our land, where they trespassed into… NOTHING HAPPENS TO CRIMINALS HERE. MUCH LESS TO THE INVADERS.
— Missy 🌹 (@MissyMurdrem2) April 23, 2025
The sentiment reflects a growing fear that Denver’s policies are enabling crime rather than curbing it.
It’s time for Denver to rethink its approach. Low cash bail for serious felonies like fentanyl trafficking must be reconsidered, especially for gang members who pose a clear threat to public safety.
Judges should prioritize community safety over blanket reform ideals, setting higher bonds or denying bail altogether in cases where the risk is evident. Similarly, the city must extend ICE detainer notifications to the full 48 hours, ensuring that dangerous individuals aren’t released back into our neighborhoods simply because of logistical gamesmanship.
Sanctuary policies should not come at the expense of public safety—they should strike a balance that protects both immigrant communities and the broader public.
Denver cannot continue to roll the dice with the lives of its residents.
Bayron Turcios-Murillo is out there, a transient gang member with access to deadly drugs, because of these flawed policies.
How many more like him will slip through the cracks before the city acts?
We deserve better—a system that holds dangerous criminals accountable, cooperates fully with federal partners, and prioritizes the safety of every Denverite. Anything less is a betrayal of the trust we place in our leaders to keep us safe.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.