By Sarah Ferguson | KXRM
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Recently, NewsNation affiliate KXRM went on a ride-along with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Denver, as its officers conducted targeted enforcement actions on at-large fugitives from ICE in Colorado Springs.
From attending the early morning briefing, to witnessing ICE officers making arrests of “public safety threats,” to touring the Florence Sub-Office for processing, KXRM was able to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into an arrest made by ICE officers and the steps taken thereafter.
Morning briefing: Day of ride-along
Just before 5 a.m. on the day of KXRM’s ride-along with ICE Denver, our team met with officers at an undisclosed location where the morning briefing ensued. During the briefing, ICE officers identified targets, discussed a plan of action, and addressed safety concerns.
“So, we are going after some criminal targets, some at-large fugitives from ICE,” said Robert Guadian, Denver Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.
“This is what we do 365 days a year; 95% of these people have been released from county jails,” he said. “When you see what we do today, you’ll understand that my officers, myself, it’s built into our DNA to protect the community.”
According to Guadian, these operations are necessary to keep criminals off the streets.
“Current laws in the state of Colorado don’t allow us to make a safe transfer inside the jail, so we have to conduct these at-large operations looking for these people that we could have gotten in the jail, but instead we have to come out into this environment and get them either at work, at home, or in between,” he continued. “The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office cooperates with ICE to the maximum extent, and I’m very grateful for that.”