Immigration sweeps expected to start in Denver, 9 other cities on Sunday

Nationwide sweeps on immigrants with deportation orders are expected to start in 10 cities Sunday, including Denver.

President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would carry out planned operations to deport “millions” of immigrants weeks ago, but the administration has since said operations will target about 2,000 people.

Following the president’s announcement, Colorado immigration advocates ramped up civil rights trainings and emphasized the Colorado Rapid Response Network’s hotline to report possible immigration raids and abuses. About 2,000 people gathered outside the ICE detention center in Aurora to protest the roundups on Friday — a rally that gained national attention when “rogue” protestors took down and attempted to destroy an American flag and replaced it with the Mexican flag.

Immigrants in Colorado and nationally have been on edge since the initial announcement of the planned sweeps June 18, which Trump later delayed.

Though the administration said it would start the operations Sunday, the enforcement raids began in at least two neighborhoods on Saturday in New York, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal. In at least one neighborhood, ICE agents were turned away for attempting to detain people without warrants.

That’s an issue Colorado immigrant rights groups are emphasizing in their “Know Your Rights” trainings. They encourage immigrants to ask questions when agents approach them, including verifying they have valid warrants.

Those opposing the raids have called them political rhetoric being used to garner support for the president’s re-election.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and other city leaders have said local law enforcement will not be aiding federal agents in the roundups.