A lot has happened in the past seven days. Trump’s promised “Operation Aurora” kicked off in Colorado as ICE and other federal agencies carried out raids at apartment buildings in the Denver Metro area. According to The Colorado Sun’s Jennifer Brown, the agency has yet to reveal how many people were detained and if they had connections to the gang ICE was targeting, but residents and activists described masked agents using smoke grenades and breaking in doors.
A leader of another of those federal agencies, the Drug Enforcement Agency, floated a very extreme idea on a local radio show this week. He said that unless the Mexican government takes action the DEA officers or the U.S. military would need to cross the border to fight drug cartels directly.
At the legislature, Newsline’s Lindsey Toomer reported on a Republican candidate for governor who introduced a piece of anti-choice, anti-trans legislation. Don’t miss an open letter by State Rep. Junie Joseph to the President urging him not to gut USAID, a decades-old national institution she says helped her own family. And finally, for those who prefer to listen to their news, CTR editor Jason Salzman announces the launch of our new podcast, hosted by report Heidi Beedle.
Colorado Sun: ICE hasn’t revealed how many people were detained during raids of Denver, Aurora apartment complexes
On Wednesday, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) carried out a series of raids on apartment complexes that they say were targeting around 100 people who had connections to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. ICE did not release the names of those who were booked during the raids, making it difficult to verify how many of those individuals were charged with a crime or deported. Furthermore, the detention center does not release a daily population count. There are conflicting reports on how many people were actually arrested and, even then, how many even had a connection to the gang. Part of Trump’s “Operation Aurora”, ICE surrounded the apartment complexes with tactical vehicles, clad in balaclavas and rifles, as they busted down doors and windows. Immigrant advocacy groups have called the raids inhumane and violate the rights of tenants.
For the Record: DEA Leader Says U.S. Military Could Fight Cartels in Mexico
Jonathan Pullen, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Special Agent for the Rocky Mountain Division took conservative talk radio earlier this week to suggest American military action inside Mexico to eliminate Mexican cartels. On air, Pullen said that “the only way” to fight domestic drug trafficking, if the Mexican government does not take action, is for the U.S. government to send either DEA agents or military forces into Mexico to fight drug cartels
Colorado Newsline: Bill Would Make Bringing a Minor to Colorado for Abortion, Gender-Affirming Care a Felon
Rep. Scott Bottoms (R-Colorado Springs) has introduced a bill that would revise a Colorado statute so that “a person, corporation, or government agency commits felony human trafficking if they bring a minor to Colorado to receive an abortion or gender-affirming care”. Bottoms, who recently announced that he will run for governor in 2026, is the bill’s sole sponsor. While it is unlikely that the bill will go far in the Democratic-controlled state legislature, it indicates that state Republicans will continue to target reproductive health and trans rights, even after Colorado voters resoundingly rejected these measures in 2024.
State Rep. Junie Joseph Publishes Open Letter to the President of the United States and his Administration, Opposing USAID Closure
To be clear, Joseph’s open letter to the current presidential administration is not ‘extremist’, rather Rep. Joseph (D-Boulder) points out that programs like USAID, which the Trump administration plans to gut, provide meaningful humanitarian support that creates resilient global communities and are a key part of American foreign policy.
Colorado Times Recorder Launches ‘Fever Swamp Review’ Podcast
We have launched a podcast, hosted by our own Heidi Beedle, that covers the various forms of misinformation and political extremism in Colorado. This week’s episode covered right-wing think tanks and how they are influencing public policy. Future podcasts will feature experts and activists alongside our team of writers and freelancers as we discuss and spotlight what political extremists are doing and saying behind the scenes.
