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Denver metro area among next targets for stepped-up ICE arrests under Trump administration

Denver among next targets for new ICE arrests, military will provide facilities at Buckley base
Denver among next targets for new ICE arrests, military will provide facilities at Buckley base 00:49

CBS News has learned that the Denver metro area is among the next targets for the stepped-up immigration arrest operations that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been conducting under the Trump administration. 

Since President Donald Trump took office, ICE operations have picked up across the country. The agency said it arrested nearly 1,200 people on Monday alone, up from previous days and from the Biden administration, which averaged 312 arrests per day last year.  

ICE Agents Carry Out Raid On Undocumented Immigrants In Chicago
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Getty Images

Large ICE operations have been conducted in New York City and Chicago. Now the agency is expected to do the same in the Denver metro area, including Aurora, which the president frequently cited on the campaign trail when vowing to crack down on illegal immigration. 

Trump promised to enact what he calls "Operation Aurora" in an October 2024 campaign rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora. Aurora made national news in August 2024 when a video that went viral showed men carrying weapons and allegedly terrorizing residents at The Edge at Lowry apartments. The word that the criminal Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, had taken over apartment buildings made Aurora ground zero for the national debate over border security.

Republican Presidential Nominee Former President Trump Holds Rally In Aurora, Colorado
AURORA, COLORADO - OCTOBER 11: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center on October 11, 2024 in Aurora, Colorado. Trump is campaigning in key states ahead of the November 5 presidential election. Michael Ciaglo / Getty Images

The apartment complex located at 12th Avenue and Dallas Street will close after a municipal judge in Colorado granted an emergency order earlier this month. The property has been deemed a criminal nuisance due to persistent violent incidents. The emergency order states the complex is an "immediate threat to public safety."

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Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain says mismanagement has driven many of the issues plaguing the property at 12th and Dallas. CBS

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain previously said mismanagement has driven many of the issues plaguing the property, which include TdA gang activity and violent behavior. 

Last month, more than a dozen suspects were detained in connection with an armed home invasion involving a stabbing and kidnapping at The Edge at Lowry apartments. Investigators with ICE told CBS News Colorado that all but three of the suspects detained are suspected members or associates of the TdA gang and all are Venezuelan nationals in the U.S. without authorization. 

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Fourteen suspects were detained by Aurora police after officers responded to a report of a home invasion with weapons. CBS

ICE confirmed that the suspects "will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings or hearings before an immigration judge" and that all of those detained are Venezuelan nationals in the U.S. without authorization. 

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