Alex Sellers, center, at a pop-up protest in Edwards Friday. The demonstration was held in an effort to voice opposition to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in Eagle County. John LaConte/Vail Daily An uptick in reported ICE activity across Colorado’s Western Slope has drawn concern from local advocates and officials, who say the recent spike in enforcement activity is an intentional part of Trump’s mass deportation plans.
Last week, Garfield County-based nonprofit immigration advocacy organization Voces Unidas de las Montañas released a statement in Spanish addressing mountain communities “in a moment of great concern” about an increase in police activity related to immigration “directly affecting Summit, Lake, Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin counties.” While Voces Unidas President and CEO Alex Sánchez made it clear that ICE agents have been active in Colorado’s rural mountain towns since President Trump took office in January, he stated that the number of ICE sightings and reports of detentions has notably increased since May 19. Sánchez isn’t the only one to have noticed the change. “I’m definitely hearing from community members that are very concerned, from high school students, to elected officials, to nonprofits and other concerned members of the community because we have seen that uptick in ICE activity in Eagle County, Pitkin, Garfield and Summit,” said Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, a Democrat from Glenwood Springs.
Last week, Eagle County Sheriff James van Beek confirmed that ICE agents were operating in the area after an unconfirmed number of individuals were detained in Edwards. The incident sparked a social media train that quickly filled with rumors. Support Local Journalism Donate “We’ve been getting over 100 calls in the last couple days just on the hotline alone,” Sánchez said.
“That does not include the social media instant messages, tips and reports and videos that are shared directly with us.” Another individual with an outstanding warrant was detained by ICE agents near Carbondale on May 21 , according to the Carbondale Police Department. Voces Unidas says this is not the only enforcement activity Garfield County had last week — the nonprofit reported two additional ICE appearances in Glenwood Springs and one on I-70 between Glenwood and Rifle that same day, which Sanchez said were confirmed through a combination of photo and video evidence, witness testimony, communication with family members of the detainees and comments from law enforcement. Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Glenwood Springs Police Department, however, both said they were unaware of any ICE activity in the area as of May 22.
Only the New Castle Police Department confirmed the presence of ICE agents in their area, but did not provide any additional information. While Pitkin County Sheriff Michael Buglione said it is typical for counties to be alerted of ICE’s presence in a county, the notice is basic protocol to avoid potential conflicts with law enforcement. Several sheriff’s departments across the Western Slope, including Pitkin, Routt and Summit counties, said they had not been alerted of ICE operations in the area as of last week.
When asked whether the operation of ICE agents in several Colorado counties was part of a coordinated enforcement effort in the central mountain region, as Sánchez claims, the agency’s Denver field office released the following statement: “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,” an ICE spokesperson said.
“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.” ‘They’re actually just targeting all immigrants’ While the Trump administration has publicly emphasized targeting immigrants with criminal records, ICE has detained many individuals without any criminal history. In early 2025, national ICE data revealed that nearly half of the 4,422 individuals detained during a two-week period in February had no criminal convictions or pending charges , which contradicts the administration’s declared focus on deporting immigrants with criminal convictions.
“According to family members, some of these individuals, especially the bystanders, have never had criminal records, have never committed any crimes in our community,” Sánchez said. “We’re also seeing that policies are passing at the federal level — for example, the Laken Riley Act — that says that anyone that is charged with (some) petty offenses is now eligible for deportation,” Velasco said. “What we’re seeing is they’re not (just) targeting dangerous people, that they’re actually just targeting all immigrants.” While Sánchez said many of the reports received by Voces Unidas about ICE detentions on the Western Slope have affected immigrants with outstanding warrants whom agents were targeting specifically, others have been affected for “being at the wrong place at the wrong time.” “We are seeing how they are taking people and asking questions later, and that is happening across the state and we know that it also happens here in our communities,” Velasco said.
“We know that these operations are destabilizing our communities and don’t make us feel safer.” A big legislative year for Colorado immigration law It’s illegal for local law enforcement to work with ICE in conducting arrests or otherwise assisting in the detention of suspected undocumented immigrants — a law that has recently gotten more enforcement. Senate Bill 276, which was signed into law on May 23, builds on existing protections prohibiting federal arrests in state courthouses, barring local governments from partnering with ICE to detain people and restricting local agencies from sharing personal immigration-related information with federal agents with exceptions for warrants and federal investigations. The bill also brings back measures prohibiting federal immigration agents from entering nonpublic areas of government buildings, like schools and libraries, without a warrant, after the Trump administration reversed a long-standing federal policy keeping agents out of sensitive locations like churches and schools.
“We know that this is not a magic wand, and people still feel like they’re not safe,” said Velasco, a prime sponsor on the bill. The Colorado Rapid Response Network , an ICE activity hotline formed during the first Trump administration, said Tuesday that its volunteers have not seen any immigration activity inside Denver courthouses to date, though reports of ICE agents showing up at courthouses have appeared in other parts of the state. Back in April, Colorado Public Radio reported that Ninth Judicial District Chief Judge John Neiley issued an order for federal immigration agents to stop conducting civil enforcement in courthouses in Garfield, Pitkin and Rio Blanco counties.
Garfield County courthouse employees told CPR that ICE had been operating inside and right outside the courthouse in downtown Glenwood Springs since January. Colorado law bars ICE from conducting civil enforcement actions inside courthouses or around their perimeter, though agents and criminal arrests are still allowed inside. Still, the network said it’s important to attend immigration hearings to avoid immediate deportation orders.
Those attending immigration court hearings are not required to give their name to any ICE agents who may be present at the courthouse. “It’s hard to know what’s real’ With rumors circulating on social media and perpetuating fear in mountain communities, Velasco said connecting with grassroots organizations like the Colorado Rapid Response Network, the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Voces Unidas and Mountain Dreamers are the sources to confirm ICE activity rumors and stay up to date on any changes to immigration policy. When encountering photo or video evidence online from unverified accounts, advocates say it’s best to avoid sharing the information and instead wait for immigration organizations to confirm or dispel any rumors.
“It’s hard to know what’s real,” Velasco said. “So they are really looking to the sheriff’s office and the school districts to guide them and give them information as it is happening.” During the Feb. 5 ICE raids in Denver and Aurora , the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado reported seeing a higher number of immigration-related social media posts, many of which they confirmed were inaccurate. False rumors not only cause unnecessary panic, the organization said, but also make it difficult for lawyers and advocacy groups to prioritize cases when some reports are false .
“We cannot confirm how long this current (immigration enforcement) blitz will last, or how often we’re going to see targeted or untargeted campaigns in our community,” Sánchez said. “But the message to our community, at least from Voces Unidas, is we should be vigilant. We should be prepared.
We should know our constitutional rights.”
