DENVER — Heavily armed federal agents raided apartment buildings across metro Denver early Wednesday in a search for Venezuelan gang members and other migrants under the Trump administration's mass deportation effort targeting major cities.
At least two dozen officers carrying high-powered weapons stormed several complexes before sunrise. In some cases, they were backed by large, military-style vehicles.
The Department of Homeland Security said on social media that it was targeting members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua for arrest and detention. It did not say how many people were taken into custody. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The administration has said that its main targets are convicted criminals but that noncriminals could also be detained during raids. Witnesses said that they were caught off-guard by the agents descending on their homes and that many hid in their apartments, afraid federal agents would barge in.
Many refused to answer their doors when officers knocked. At an apartment complex in Denver, a year-old Venezuelan man said that shortly after 5 a. The man, who asked that his name be withheld because he was afraid of being deported, said residents discreetly peered out their windows as large trucks and unmarked vehicles entered the parking lot.
Several residents said eight people were arrested at the complex. Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement that he was aware an immigration enforcement action was taking place at a Denver apartment complex.
