DILLON, Colo. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity has been reported in Colorado's high country, including an operation in Summit County on Thursday.
This comes one week after ICE and Homeland Security Investigations executed a criminal warrant at a Mexican restaurant in Frisco.
The Summit Daily reports the U.S. Marshals Service had agents supporting ICE in Thursday’s operation. The USMS did not respond to Denver7’s request for confirmation.
Sources told Denver7 that multiple people were detained in the operation, but it’s not clear who, how many, or if any criminal warrants were involved.
Denver7 pressed ICE for those answers. The agency sent Denver7 a statement in response:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is executing its mission of identifying and removing criminal aliens and others who have violated our nation’s immigration laws. All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality.
For operational security and for the safety of our law enforcement personnel, ICE does not confirm, deny, or otherwise discuss ongoing or future operations. The agency publicly announces operational results when appropriate.
Summit County is not the only Colorado mountain community seeing reports of federal law enforcement activity. The Routt County Sheriff’s Office and Steamboat Springs Police Department sent a joint statement to Denver7:
The Steamboat Springs Police Department and Routt County Sheriff’s Office are aware of possible immigration enforcement actions occurring in and around the City of Steamboat Springs by federal authorities. While there has been no communication with the federal government, nor any notification of enforcement action, community members have shared the same videos with local law enforcement that are being distributed on different social media platforms.
Neither the Steamboat Springs Police Department nor the Routt County Sheriff’s Office can confirm these operations, as we do not have any communication with immigration enforcement officials at this time.
As a reminder to the public, Colorado state law prohibits local law enforcement from arresting anyone for a civil immigration violation or holding people to facilitate immigration enforcement. In addition, SB 25-276 prohibits any city employee from sharing personal identifying information that is not publicly available for purposes of investigating for, participating in, cooperating with, or assisting in federal immigration enforcement.
The Steamboat Spring Police Department, Routt County Sheriff’s Office, City of Steamboat Springs and Routt County value all our community members and strive to provide the best service possible.
In Summit County, some community members expressed concerns about Thursday’s operation, saying it has led to widespread fear. Summit County, one of Colorado’s most popular tourist destinations, is home to many immigrants.
“I've been here over 25 years, and we've never seen something like this,” said Summit County resident Victor Almeida, who owns an excavation company. “It doesn't surprise me because it's been on the news everywhere else, but we weren't expecting it.”
Bethany Hughes, a Summit County resident who works in the construction industry, called Thursday’s operation “heartbreaking and it's terrifying.”
“There's been a lot of reaction and stress and anxiety within the community,” she said. “The voices of those who are affected and being disenfranchised by this have very effectively been silenced. I think when that silencing happens, there's a great loss of power and a great loss of confidence.”
Summit County Commissioner Tamara Pogue said the operation leads to “a human toll here that feels cruel and inhumane.”
“I think for Summit County, this is not a political issue; this is a humanity issue,” she said. “Everybody knows everybody here. It's a very real experience. It's not about some sort of random person on the news. It's about who your kid plays soccer with, and who you might see at church, and suddenly, people are not here anymore.
“When events like what happened this morning happen, our community devolves into chaos, and it is heartbreaking,” Pogue added. “Businesses close, soccer practice gets canceled. Students are afraid to leave their schools because they don't feel safe, and parents are worried about being separated from their kids.”
Many across the country support President Donald Trump’s administration taking a strict approach to immigration enforcement.
“We all come to this country to make it better. If you come to this country to break the law, I think you should be sent back,” said Almeida. “But if you're just trying to make a living and making this country great like we have for so long, I just don't see why we're doing this.”
Community members also raised concerns that more ICE activity will have a negative economic impact on Summit County residents and the state as a whole.
“As much as this is a place of leisure for others, those of us who live up here, it's very hand-to-mouth, and you really have to be fighting it, and you have to be able to be at work every day just to make rent,” said Hughes.
“People are afraid,” Almeida added. “People don't want to go to work anymore. That's going to affect us as business owners when we don't have enough manpower to complete jobs… It’s going to affect everybody.”
“Tourists who come here and expect a certain level of service simply won't be given that level of service because we don't have the people available to do that,” said Pogue. “And that's going to generate an economic impact for the state as well.”
Denver7 Investigative Reporter Natalie Chuck contributed to this report.
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