DENVER (KDVR) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeted over 100 members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, for arrest and detention as part of a multi-location immigration enforcement operation in Aurora and Denver Wednesday morning.
This operation, which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Division is calling the “Return to Sender Operation,” took at least 10 people into custody at the Cedar Run Apartments at 888 S. Oneida St. in Denver, according to a DEA spokesperson on scene.
The DEA Rocky Mountain Division said this was part of the operation that was expected to start in Aurora on Jan. 30. This operation was reportedly delayed because information was leaked and posed security threats.
Raid targets ‘hot spot locations’ for gang members
FOX31’s Jim Hooley was at the apartment complex where residents told him they received a knock on their door at around 6 a.m. with officers asking for their identification. Another nearby witness said he saw people being taken out of their cars.
Hooley later saw at least eight to 10 people being loaded onto a bus with handcuffs.
DEA Rocky Mountain said in a post on X just after 7 a.m. that agents were conducting search warrant operations across the metro area. FBI Denver said in a post on X these were “immigration enforcement efforts,” while the U.S. Marshals Service Denver said the operation targeted several “Tren de Aragua hot spot locations” around the Denver area.
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Law officials confer during a raid Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) -
Law officials enter an apartment complex during a raid Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) -
Raid in Denver on Feb. 5, 2025 (Courtesy of ERO Denver) -
A bus leaves the Cedar Run apartments during a raid Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) -
Law officials leave the Cedar Run apartments after staging a raid Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) -
Men use megaphones to yell at law officials during a raid Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) -
Law officials carry a stack of papers out of an apartment during a raid Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) -
Law official guards entrance to an apartment complex during a raid Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) -
Raid in Denver on Feb. 5, 2025 (Courtesy of U.S. Marshals Service Denver)
Other agencies on scene at the Cedar Run Apartments included the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshall Sevice, DEA Rocky Mountain Division, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and FBI Denver.
Throughout the morning, a SWAT car was spotted and an officer could be heard on a loudspeaker telling people in the area to stay in their apartments and cars. DEA Rocky Mountain Division’s X post showed a video of two armed agents outside an apartment complex while it was still dark throwing a device that distributed gas outside the area.
Hooley confirmed another raid took place at The Edge at Lowry in Aurora. There are reportedly at least four other locations, however, these other locations have yet to be confirmed.
While Hooley said most law enforcement agencies have left the Denver apartment complex, this is still an ongoing investigation. At this time, it’s unclear if other areas will be a part of this operation.
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