The Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that began in January in Denver, Colorado, and the neighboring city of Aurora, appear to be having the desired effect.
KUSA-TV Denver reported that, according to the latest statistics from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, homicides were down by 58% in Denver in the first quarter of the year. Ten homicides were reported in the city during the first three months of 2025, versus 24 during the same period in 2024.
KUSA notes this is among the most significant drops in violent crime nationwide.
Homicides in Aurora fell by a lesser, but still impressive, rate of 36% during the first quarter to seven from 11 in 2024.
Although few media outlets are willing to make the connection between the drop in homicides and the ICE deportations of Tren de Aragua gang members from those cities in recent months, allow me to make it for them. It’s not a coincidence.
Independent journalist Sara Carter was among those willing to state the obvious:
This marked decrease in violence comes after intensified immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which had made the Denver metropolitan area a key focus for removals of criminal migrants. ICE has acted swiftly, arresting 538 illegal aliens across multiple cities, including Denver. Shortly thereafter, the agency expanded its efforts in Colorado, zeroing in on members of Tren de Aragua.
The Trump administration moved immediately to crack down on illegal immigrants in the U.S., focusing particularly on those considered to be “the worst of the worst.” In his first week in office, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rocky Mountain Field Division executed a search warrant at an improvised club in Denver, arresting numerous individuals linked to the Tren de Aragua gang.
A second, larger ICE raid was planned for January 30 in Aurora, but the operation was aborted following media leaks.
A week later, ICE, with support from the FBI, DEA, CBP, ATF, and the U.S. Marshals, conducted an early morning raid at an apartment complex in Aurora and arrested 10 Tren de Aragua members.
ICE activity has continued in these cities and others, including Colorado Springs, over the past few months.
According to Denver’s KDVR, a Fox News affiliate, crime is down this year in nearly every category in Aurora. At a recent news conference, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlin said, “The City of Aurora and Aurora PD are actually in a really good spot right now. Our crime numbers are down 22.8% overall.”
Chamberlin noted that at this point last year, 5,193 residents had been victims of crime in his city. Year-to-date, the number is 4,045.
However, he stopped short of attributing the drop in the crime rate to the ICE deportations.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston have reportedly worked to thwart the federal government’s efforts to deport illegals in the state. Shortly after the election, Johnston made headlines over his pledge to protect the undocumented in his city. In an interview with local media outlet Denverite at the time, Johnston said, not only are we “gonna continue to be a welcoming, open, big-hearted city that’s gonna stand by our values,” but “more than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there.”
He added, “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right?”
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice sued Polis, Johnston, Attorney General Phil Weiser, and Sheriff Elias Diggins. The lawsuit accused the state and the city of Denver of having laws structured “by intent and design [to] interfere with and discriminate against the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law.”
We’ll have to wait and see whether they rise to the occasion.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn or X.
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