Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: ICE

Brauchler: SB25-276 is lawmakers’ latest mockery of immigration enforcement
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Brauchler: SB25-276 is lawmakers’ latest mockery of immigration enforcement

By George Brauchler | Commentary, Denver Gazette SB 25-276 is a Democrat-only sponsored bill that attacks the rule of law and will make Colorado less safe and less just. It contains a predictably steep, yet unquantified, unfunded mandate to counties, who fund the 23 district attorneys’ offices across Colorado. SB 276 expands the opportunity for “noncitizen defendants” to challenge every guilty plea they have entered to every class of misdemeanor, petty offense, and even municipal charges,” at any time following the entry of a guilty plea.” There is no time limitation for this challenge. Why? To protect noncitizens from the immigration consequences associated with convictions for their criminal conduct, of course. Previously, our left-leaning legislature changed the maximum sentenc...
18 flagged for deportation after Colorado Springs nightclub raid, 86 remain in ICE custody
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

18 flagged for deportation after Colorado Springs nightclub raid, 86 remain in ICE custody

Denver Gazette A spokesperson with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has confirmed that 18 people who were taken into custody on April 27 as part of a major raid on an unlicensed Colorado Springs nightclub had previously been ordered to be deported. According to the ICE spokesperson Thursday, 18 of the 104 individuals detained in the raid were “subject to a final order of removal.” The ICE website states: Once an individual receives a final order, ERO facilitates the individual’s safe return to his or her country of origin in accordance with U.S. immigration laws, as well as international commitments and any bilateral agreements which may be in place. The ICE spokesperson declined to say whether the 18 had been deported, or if they had been sent to their country of origi...
ICE, FBI, DEA take down fentanyl ring in Colorado tied to Honduran nationals
Approved, kdvr.com, State

ICE, FBI, DEA take down fentanyl ring in Colorado tied to Honduran nationals

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Five people were indicted by a Colorado grand jury on charges of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. The indictment for the case cites five incidents between June 24, 2024, and April 15, 2025, wherein officials alleged that the defendants had either 400 grams or 40 grams or more of fentanyl and were intending to sell it. The office identified the defendants and their charges in the case as: Exor Omar Villanueva Raudales, aka “Brian, 36 Two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl Two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl Alex Yubini Can...
Trump prioritizes Venezuelan gang crackdown, while Colorado and other sanctuary states resist
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local, National, State

Trump prioritizes Venezuelan gang crackdown, while Colorado and other sanctuary states resist

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette As millions of immigrants fleeing the economic and political chaos in Venezuela used social media to navigate the journey north, Tren de Aragua (TdA) operatives embedded in their ranks and exploited these same platforms — particularly WhatsApp — to coordinate extortion, smuggling and violence. Venezuela’s economic and political chaos made the rise of an enterprising criminal organization like TdA almost inevitable, according to Ronna Rísquez, a Venezuelan journalist who's been investigating the gang. “The heads of the Tren de Aragua identified the massive and forced Venezuelan migration as a goldmine of business opportunities,” Rísquez wrote in her book, “El Tren de Aragua: La banda que revolucionó el crimen organizado en América Latina” (The...
Feds using Colorado airport to deport ICE detainees—in large numbers
Approved, KRDO.COM, Local

Feds using Colorado airport to deport ICE detainees—in large numbers

By Sadie Buggle | KDRO News ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (KRDO) – An airport near Denver is being used by the U.S. Coast Guard to transport Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees to Texas and California for deportation, our Denver news affiliate 9NEWS has confirmed. According to 9NEWS, at least three large U.S. Coast Guard cargo planes were spotted at Centennial airport in Englewood last Thursday, Friday and Monday. In a statement to our Denver affiliates, the Coast Guard confirmed the aircrafts were being used to transport individuals in custody. READ THE FULL STORY AT KRDO NEWS
Colorado Springs mayor expects more raids, arrests after nightclub bust
Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, Local

Colorado Springs mayor expects more raids, arrests after nightclub bust

By Breeanna Jent  | The Gazette After law enforcement officers raided an "underground" nightclub early Sunday morning, Mayor Yemi Mobolade said he expects additional arrests in Colorado Springs' future. "I anticipate that there will be more arrests. I hope to see more raids happen in my city. This is not the first one," Mobolade told national media outlet NewsNation Now. More than 300 law enforcement officers from at least 10 agencies raided the property at 296 S. Academy Blvd., at the northwest corner of Academy Boulevard and Airport Road, on Sunday. They detained 114 people, including active-duty military members and individuals alleged to be in the U.S. illegally, officials said. On Monday, a social media post from the Drug Enforcement Administration showed a busload of 60 peop...
Joondeph: Trump Could Put Hillary Clinton in Charge of Immigration
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Joondeph: Trump Could Put Hillary Clinton in Charge of Immigration

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Watching legacy media might give one the impression that President Donald Trump is cleaning house, deporting the tens of millions of illegal aliens allowed into America during the terms of all recent past presidents. And that border czar Tom Homan is leading a scorched earth effort to round up each and every illegal alien and send them packing. At least that’s the perception one might have by watching network or cable news. What is the reality? How are Trump’s “massive” and “unprecedented” deportations going?  Are illegal aliens being rapidly deported as Trump promised in his 2024 presidential campaign? Or is the media gaslighting Americans, pushing a fear porn narrative that is far from reality? How many dep...
ACLU targets ICE to block detention facility expansion in Colorado
Approved, kdvr.com, State

ACLU targets ICE to block detention facility expansion in Colorado

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — The American Civil Liberties Union is making Colorado a battleground state against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as it sues to access what the nonprofit says should be publicly requestable documents. According to the ACLU and the ACLU of Colorado, it all stems from attempts by ICE to expand immigration detention in Colorado and Wyoming. FOX31 learned during an exclusive ride-along with ICE Denver agents earlier this week that there are plans to double the number of available beds for immigration arrests in the Denver area. FOX31 was told the new facility will have at least as many beds as the more than 1,500 beds in the existing Aurora ICE Contract Facility, and said the new facility would likely be located in Hudson and o...
ICE plans to double the number of jail beds in Denver due to increased arrests in Colorado
Approved, kdvr.com, Local, State

ICE plans to double the number of jail beds in Denver due to increased arrests in Colorado

By Vicente Arenas | Fox 31 News DENVER (KDVR) — On any given day, even before sunrise, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents say they are on the streets preparing to make arrests in Denver. FOX31 had asked ICE for a ride-along so our crew could witness how agents make arrests. The agency granted that request and allowed FOX31 reporter Vicente Arenas and photographer Eugene Bergman to travel with them as they made arrests on Tuesday morning. Our crew first went to a pre-dawn briefing and a stakeout in Westminster. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX31 NEWS
Cole: Denver’s dangerous dance with low cash bail and ICE detainer policies puts public safety at risk
Approved, Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Cole: Denver’s dangerous dance with low cash bail and ICE detainer policies puts public safety at risk

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 powde...