Over 100 Undocumented Immigrants Detained in Colorado Springs Nightclub Raid

Federal authorities detained more than 100 undocumented immigrants during a large-scale raid early Sunday morning at an underground nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Officials said the venue was “frequented by TdA and MS-13 gang members” and described the operation as a major step in targeting organized criminal activity linked to illegal immigration.

Led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Rocky Mountain Division, the multi-agency operation arrested 114 undocumented individuals out of more than 200 people found inside the illicit venue.

According to the DEA, officers seized narcotics — including pink cocaine and methamphetamine — alongside multiple firearms and uncovered evidence of prostitution.

“The Department of Homeland Security has taken more than 100 illegal aliens into custody,” the DEA Rocky Mountain Division said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). “Drugs and weapons have also been seized at this underground nightclub in Colorado Springs.”

Footage from the raid showed crowds of people attempting to flee as law enforcement secured the site.

Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the operation, praising the arrests in a post on Truth Social. “A big raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our country — drug dealers, murderers, and other violent criminals,” Trump wrote. “If we don’t win this battle at the Supreme Court, our country, as we know it, is finished.”

Attorney General Pamela Bondi also praised the operation, highlighting the seizure of drugs and weapons. “This morning, the DEA apprehended over 100 illegal aliens at an underground nightclub frequented by TdA and MS-13 terrorists,” she posted on X.

More than 300 personnel from various agencies participated in the coordinated action, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, and the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly pointed to Colorado’s sanctuary state policies as a factor contributing to increased illegal immigration and associated crime. “Colorado has been a hub for illegal immigration due to the sanctuary policies of the city of Denver in conjunction with radical legislation from the State Capitol,” he told The Gazette.

Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez emphasized that his department’s involvement was focused strictly on criminal violations and not immigration enforcement. “This operation was the result of a months-long investigation into serious criminal activity in our community,” Vasquez said in a statement.

“While the investigation is ongoing, arrests for these criminal violations are expected.”

Among those at the nightclub were about a dozen active-duty U.S. service members, who were either patrons or working as armed security, DEA officials confirmed. Special Agent Jonathan Pullen said the servicemembers will be handled by Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) but had not been arrested at this time.

“I think that everybody that goes into a nightclub at 3 o’clock in the morning knows what they’re getting into,” Pullen told Denver 7 News.

According to the DEA, many of those detained face potential federal immigration charges, and at least two individuals were arrested on outstanding warrants.

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer city this Sunday morning,” Pullen said during a local press briefing.