In a shocking scene early Sunday, US federal agents raided an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, arresting more than 100 suspected undocumented immigrants.
The operation was captured on video and shared by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on their X handle, showing DEA personnel storming the building as patrons fled in panic.
The footage also showed dozens of clubbers raising their hands in supposed surrender, some against the wall and some on the floor. Dozens were handcuffed as well, with DEA agents surveying the crowd.
The raid was carried out with the help of over 300 law enforcement officers from various agencies. It came after months of investigation into the nightclub’s alleged involvement in drug trafficking, prostitution, and violent crime. Authorities found cocaine and seized an undisclosed number of firearms during the operation.
Footage shared online by the DEA showed agents announcing their arrival, ordering club-goers to leave with their hands up. Later clips showed dozens of people pouring out of the building after agents smashed a window to get inside. Detained individuals, many of them in handcuffs, were lined up along the pavement waiting to be transported.
Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division, said at a news conference, “Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today.” The city, Colorado’s second largest, sits about 70 miles (113 kilometres) south of Denver.
“When the cops showed up at the door, most of the drugs hit the floor,” said Pullen.
Among those detained were a dozen active-duty military members, who were either visiting the club or working there as armed security guards. Several patrons were also arrested for outstanding warrants. Authorities estimated that more than 200 people were inside the club during the raid.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took custody of the suspected undocumented immigrants.
US President Donald Trump posted the DEA’s raid footage on his Truth Social. “A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes,” he said.
Trump’s hardline immigration policies have led to an aggressive campaign of enforcement, which has frequently clashed with rulings from federal judges. His administration’s efforts have slowed immigration at the southern border significantly and included the detention of more than 1,000 international college students, some of whom later had their legal status temporarily restored.
