Immigration enforcement officers headed to the Colorado city that gave President Donald Trump‘s mass deportation program its name Wednesday, aiming to round up over a hundred known members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).
Multiple Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies were on hand in Aurora, a city on the edge of Denver, to detain multiple illegal immigrants linked to the group known for human smuggling, drug trafficking, and violent acts.
Newsweek reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) via email on Wednesday afternoon for comment.
Why It Matters
When TdA members were reportedly taking over apartment buildings in Aurora last summer, Trump took notice and used the city as an example of what he saw as former President Joe Biden‘s open border policies allowing criminals into the country. He later visited the city and said his mass deportation program would be called “Operation Aurora.”
What To Know
On Wednesday, multiple agents from ICE, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) worked together to carry out the operation.
It was not immediately clear how many people were detained, but images shared by ICE showed arrests being made. ICE Acting Director Caleb Vitello said in a video that officers had to go out into communities to reach those suspected of being illegal immigrants who were part of the gang.
Vitello was pictured alongside Denver Special Agent in Charge Tim Lenzen, looking at surveillance footage and satellite imagery of the city as other officers sat nearby.
Aurora first hit the headlines for its problems with TdA in August, when a video of gang members breaking into an apartment in the city went viral online. It led to claims that the city was overrun by illegal Venezuelan migrants, which local leaders pushed back on.
While there had been known issues at a handful of apartment buildings, Mayor Mike Coffman told Newsweek at the time that there were many Venezuelan immigrants in the city legally who were part of their community and not committing crimes.
Trump later visited Aurora in October, where he branded his mass deportation plan “Operation Aurora” and promised that he would rescue the city and others that had “been invaded and conquered” over the past four years.
TdA members have been linked to a number of serious and violent crimes in the past year. The man who killed Laken Riley in Georgia was linked to the gang, while the two men suspected of murdering 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas, were also connected to the group.
When Trump returned to the White House, he signed an executive order branding TdA and other known transnational criminal gangs as terrorist organizations.
What People Are Saying
ICE Acting Director Caleb Vitello, in a video on X, formerly Twitter: “This is something that is just going to continue. As long as there are bad guys in the streets, we’re going to be out here arresting them and making sure we are keeping these communities safe.”
John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE field office director in Colorado, told Newsweek in January: “We’re serious about how we’re going to treat these terrorist organizations and these gangs.”
What Happens Next
The DHS will likely share more details on those arrested during Wednesday’s operation.
Targeted enforcement is expected to continue and be publicized by the Trump administration as it seeks to deliver on its promises to arrest and deport known illegal immigrant criminals.
The post Major ICE Operation Unfolding in Aurora, Colorado: What We Know appeared first on Newsweek.
