A large immigration crackdown planned for Thursday in Aurora was postponed after publicity about the effort spread throughout the community, worrying federal agencies that they had been compromised.
Sources in a position to know the Department of Homeland Security’s plans confirmed to CPR News on Wednesday that an earlier NBC News report was correct: The effort had been postponed — but not canceled.
On Tuesday, officials at U.S. Northern Command confirmed that at the request of the Department of Homeland Security, Buckley Space Force Base was planning to stage and process “criminal aliens” within the U.S. for an operation taking place in Colorado.
Immigration officials hope to conduct the raids in the future but without so much attention in advance.
As is typical regardless of presidential administration, small immigration operations are happening daily across the state. There have also been some larger, more highly publicized efforts, including one in Adams County over the weekend that was initially reported by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as a drug, gun and gang bust. That has so far resulted in no criminal charges for any of the 49 people who were picked up, though some of them may face removal proceedings in the immigration system. Other smaller operations have been reported in Pueblo, Larimer County and Commerce City, immigration lawyers and advocates said Wednesday.
“There are people saying my family member had TPS (Temporary Protected Status) and they’re still being picked up. That is what should be alarming to people,” said Andrea Loya, who works at Casa De Paz, an immigrant advocacy group in Aurora. “As long as we continue to justify that this is criminality then that’s what is dangerous. If we tell everybody that we can only take in criminals then they’re safer. Is that leaving us safe?”
Loya and other immigration lawyers have canvassed the metro area holding “know your rights” webinars and workshops and giving people fliers for what they should do if they encountered a federal immigration agent.
Because immigration enforcement is civil, not criminal, she said people don’t have to answer their doors or even stop to talk to someone if they don’t want to.
She also said that reports of people not showing up at work or school or generally being fearful to the point of staying home is not encouraged by her group.
“This is their home,” Loya said. “We’re trying to get this information out as wide as possible. They shouldn’t sign documents being presented to them. It’s not about hiding, it’s about empowering people to have the information to say, ‘Am I free to go? Do you have a warrant?”
Both the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and the Aurora Police Department have said they are not allowed by state law to work on federal immigration enforcement and on Wednesday said they are following those rules.
