The whereabouts of 86 apparently detained people remain unknown three weeks after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raided an illegal nightclub in Colorado Springs.

After the early-morning raid at 296 S. Academy Blvd., at the northwest corner of Academy Boulevard and Airport Road, the DEA estimated there were about 200 people inside the nightclub.

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About 300 law enforcement agents from federal and local agencies were said to have participated in the raid, including the DEA, Colorado Springs police, and the El Paso and Douglas County sheriff’s offices.

Changing arrest numbers

In a social media post the morning of the raid, the DEA Rocky Mountain Division announced that 114 “illegal aliens” were arrested and subsequently placed on buses for processing. Law enforcement officials said 12 firearms were found, along with multiple types of illicit drugs including cocaine, pink cocaine and methamphetamine.

The number of arrests officially dropped to 105 in the days following the raid. It remains unclear what happened to the nine individuals missing from the original count, or if there was an initial miscount.

DEA officials declined to speak on the record in a phone call with The Gazette when questioned about the detainees’ whereabouts. When asked on Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also declined comment.

The most recent Gazette reporting had the official number sitting at 104, according to information from ICE. It remains unknown when that number dropped or what happened to that one individual now missing from the count.

That same ICE spokesperson told The Gazette 18 people out of the 104 arrested had previously been ordered to be deported and were “subject to a final order of removal.”

Fourteen of the people with a deportation order had criminal charges or convictions, according to an ICE spokesperson. Among them, one had been arrested on suspicion of theft of $100,000 to $1 million, as well as assault and drugging of a victim. Two are suspected of being part of the Sinaloa Cartel, based in Mexico. One is accused of being part of a criminal ring involved in credit card skimming, fuel theft and illegal marijuana growing. Seven had DUI convictions.

One person is said by ICE to have entered the agency’s custody with 41 grams of methamphetamine in a body cavity.

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It remains unclear if the remaining four of the 18 had any criminal record or why they had an order for deportation.

Where are the other 86?

The remaining 86 people without a deportation order will remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings, the spokesperson said.

Multiple questions in an email to ICE last week went unanswered, including whether or not they have access to their families or if all the detainees are on a no-bond hold.

“When the general public knows what law enforcement is doing, if law enforcement is doing a good job, it’s reassuring to the public,” said Stephanie Izaguirre, a private immigration defense attorney in Colorado Springs. “I think when law enforcement hides stuff or doesn’t share information, it can come across as kind of scary, or like a lack of due process.”

Prior to January, Izaguirre said she would have “confidently” said the government would never purposely deny someone due process.

“If they were violated, the government would have done everything in its power to fix the situation,” Izaguirre said. “And I think we have heard of examples now where that’s not happening, where people’s due process rights aren’t protected.”

ICE did respond Wednesday in a statement to further inquiry from The Gazette about the detainees’ due process:

“Aliens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.

“U.S. immigration laws allow aliens to pursue relief from removal; however, once they have exhausted all due process and appeals, aliens remain subject to a final order of removal from an immigration judge and ICE must carry out that order.”

Meanwhile, members of the community continue to press local leaders for answers about those presumably in ICE custody.

Jenny Owen was one of the organizers for Indivisible Colorado Springs, which protested outside of the City Administration Building on Wednesday to ask Mayor Yemi Mobolade for new details about who was arrested during the raid.

“I am afraid for the people who were scooped up and disappeared, for these 86 people,” Owen said, pointing to one of the protest signs. “Who are they? Where are they? Do their families know? Do they have legal representation? We don’t know, so we are asking these questions.”

Mobolade said during his monthly press conference Thursday that he was unsure of the status of those individuals who have not been charged with a state or federal offense, but said it was important for them to have due process.

The mayor’s office declined to say more when asked for further comment later Thursday.

The El Paso County Board of Commissioners told The Gazette they believe federal agencies have been “as transparent as possible given the circumstance.”

“They have shared what they can at this stage of an active investigation,” the board stated in an email. “It’s understandable that some information may be limited to preserve the integrity of the case, and we trust our law enforcement partners are acting in the best interest of public safety.”

In addition, the board said it has heard “strong support” from residents who “appreciate the efforts of law enforcement to address criminal activity and keep our neighborhoods safe.”

FOIA requests go unanswered The Gazette submitted multiple FOIA requests to the DEA following the raid. A specific request asking for a list of detainees and the detention centers to which they were sent was denied.

“Regarding your request, please be advised that we have decided to neither confirm nor deny the existence of such records pursuant to Exemptions 6 & 7(C) of the FOIA,” the letter response read.

“Even to acknowledge the existence of law enforcement records on another individual could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”

According to the Department of Justice, Exemptions 6 & 7(C) are the most frequently used exemptions.

A request asking for a copy of the signed search warrant for 296 S. Academy Blvd. yielded a nearly identical letter.

“I don’t know why there would be sensitive information in there,” Izaguirre said. “I feel like most of that stuff usually gets released through FOIA, so I am a little surprised that it would not be.”

Criminal charges after raid

The Gazette has found that only three individuals are facing criminal charges following the raid. The most notable is Juan Gabriel Orona-Rodriguez, a 27-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Carson.

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He is facing one federal count each for distribution and for possession with intent to distribute, connected to his alleged involvement in cocaine distribution. Court records show he was part of a security firm that operated out of the raided nightclub, alongside others in the area.

Orona-Rodriguez has made multiple appearances in federal court since his arrest. Most recently, a judge ruled he is eligible for release with conditions. Prior to the ruling, the Fort Carson soldier was in Jefferson County jail on a no-bond hold.

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Two men were also arrested that night on outstanding warrants. Julio Santiesteban, 33, was arrested on a misdemeanor failure to appear warrant from Adams County. Pedro Trevizo-Perea, 29, was arrested on a misdemeanor active warrant for third-degree assault, criminal mischief and child abuse from Denver.

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As of Wednesday, no charges have been brought against Warike Events, the event company tied to the raided nightclub or Virginia Thorne, the lessee at the time of the raid.

Similar unknowns surround other raids

The Front Range has been no stranger to raids in recent months. A late-January drug trafficking raid of a “makeshift nightclub” at a warehouse in Adams County resulted in 49 arrests. According to drug enforcement and immigration officials, 41 were illegally residing in the U.S. Many of them were affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, the officials said.

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After the operation with the DEA, Steffan Tubbs, a DEA spokesperson, referred questions to ICE.

Steve Kotecki, an ICE spokesperson, said in a subsequent email to The Denver Gazette that the agency would not have anything further to share beyond what ICE posted publicly on X.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado has confirmed with The Gazette that no criminal charges have been filed in connection with the Adams County raid. As of Friday, it remains unclear how many of the 41 detainees remain in custody nearly four months after the raid.

The first week in February brought several more immigration raids to the metro Denver area that came with more than 90 arrests. According to prior Gazette reporting, once again, ICE, DEA and the FBI didn’t provide much detail. Typically, agencies disclose the number of individuals arrested and detained, as well as which agencies have taken part in an operation.

The Denver Gazette requested, but has not been provided copies of the warrants used to justify the searches and arrests. It remains unclear how many TdA gang members, if any, federal authorities have arrested or detained.

At the time, the DEA labeled 10 of the suspects as the “most dangerous.” The 10 are from South American countries, including five from Venezuela, authorities said.

The DEA has previously said that some detainees do not have a name in a system within the U.S. If they haven’t been arrested previously, officials may only have a “nickname” to work off of.

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