FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
- Karen Orona, Communications Manager with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC), (303) 489-1809, karen.o@coloradoimmigrant.org
- Judith Marquez, Keep Families Together Campaign Manager at CIRC and Dispatcher with the Colorado Rapid Response Network (CORRN), judith.m@coloradoimmigrant.org
Colorado Springs, CO – The Colorado Springs community is facing a significant and troubling escalation in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, characterized by aggressive, deceptive, and increasingly violent tactics.
Multiple independent reports confirm that ICE agents are conducting operations under false pretenses, including impersonating employees of local businesses such as King Soopers and 7-Eleven to approach and detain individuals. In one documented instance, a detained community member was informed by agents that they were located using Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) surveillance. Additional accounts detail warrantless arrests and vehicles being forcibly entered, with windows shattered, during apprehensions.
“These tactics are designed to terrorize and destabilize our community,” said Annette Leyva, South Regional Organizer at the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. “Disguising officers as grocery store clerks erodes public trust and creates a climate of fear in the very spaces where families should feel safe.”
In direct response to this coordinated enforcement surge, community members have begun to organize themselves. Volunteer networks are actively canvassing impacted neighborhoods, distributing multilingual “Know Your Rights” materials, and alerting residents in the area of ICE activity.
Additionally, multiple unverified reports cited the Colorado Springs Police Department was present during these operations. If local law enforcement agencies in Colorado like CSPD collaborate with federal immigration authorities, this conduct violates multiple state laws such as HB19-1124 and SB25-276, meant to protect Colorado residents from unauthorized entanglement with federal immigration enforcement. The community is urged to remain vigilant and report any law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities to the Colorado Rapid Response Hotline and to the Attorney General’s Office.
If you witness an ICE operation, report the raid immediately to the Colorado Rapid Response Hotline (CORRN): 1-844-864-8341. This hotline has bilingual operators during the day and night.
CIRC opposes the use of ALPR and Flock technology in El Paso County for purposes of mass surveillance and immigration enforcement. The coalition also condemns federal immigration authorities conducting warrantless arrests to fulfill capricious arrest quotas. This practice has instilled significant fear in Colorado’s immigrant and Latine communities. Due to a recent class-action lawsuit, a federal judge’s order prohibits ICE from conducting warrantless arrests in Colorado unless the officer has probable cause to believe that the person is violating federal immigration laws and is likely to flee before a warrant can be secured.
“Our strength has always been in our unity,” said Sarah Katzin, a local CORRN volunteer. “We are watching out for one another, organizing to ensure our community’s safety, and standing together against intimidation. It is important for the Colorado Springs community to know that all people, regardless of immigration status, have constitutional rights and should invoke those rights.”
The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition and the Colorado Rapid Response Network stand in unwavering solidarity with all Colorado Springs residents impacted by these operations.