COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A group of protesters sat outside the City Administration Building in downtown Colorado Springs on Wednesday to demand answers about the people taken into ICE custody at last month's underground nightclub raid.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Rocky Mountain Division said authorities recovered several guns, cocaine, meth, and pink cocaine inside the illegal after-hours nightclub along South Academy Boulevard on April 27. The DEA said federal agents were investigating drug trafficking, prostitution, and violent crimes at the property.
The DEA said officers arrested 104 people at the nightclub who were living in the country illegally. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said 18 of those people were subject to a final order of removal. The remaining 86 people are still in federal custody pending immigration proceedings, according to ICE.
On Wednesday, the group of protesters called on Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade to push for more information about the status of the people in federal custody.
"We sent a letter to the mayor on Friday asking for information, asking for clarity, asking for transparency, asking for answers," said Jenny Owen, a member of the grassroots political group Indivisible Colorado Springs. "Who are these people? Where are they? Have their families been notified? Are they being offered counsel? Are they still in Colorado?"
A spokesperson for ICE said 14 of the undocumented immigrants detained had previous criminal charges or convictions, including someone who was convicted of smuggling heroin, someone convicted of assault, and seven people with DUI convictions.
A portion of the group's letter to Mayor Yemi Mobolade reads:
For many in our city, the aftermath of the raid has brought only fear, grief, and a profound sense of betrayal. This is not what public safety looks like. Safety cannot be built on the backs of traumatized and alienated families, nor can it be achieved through silence and complicity.
The protesters are calling for due process for the 86 people remaining in ICE custody and are questioning the role the city had in the raid.
Mayor Mobolade sent a statement to News5 saying he appreciated the collaboration between law enforcement agencies during the raid and that federal partners acted within their purview while detaining people for suspected immigration violations. He went on to say:
Immigration enforcement is the sole responsibility of the federal government. Our Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is charged with investigating criminal activity and making arrests when appropriate. CSPD is not authorized to conduct immigration enforcement under Colorado law, and its participation in the operation was solely to address criminal violations affecting the safety of our community. CSPD follows all local, state, and federal laws.
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