DENVER — Data compiled by Sentinel shows that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made more than 3,000 arrests in Colorado under the Trump administration, a figure that is more than four times the number recorded during the same period in the final year of the Biden administration.
According to Sentinel, the analysis is based on data obtained from Newsline through the Deportation Data Project, which collects immigration enforcement records from the federal government through Freedom of Information Act requests. The data includes information on arrests and detentions in Colorado through Oct. 15, offering one of the most comprehensive pictures to date of how enforcement priorities have shifted.
As Sentinel reports, the pace of immigration arrests rose sharply after President Donald Trump took office in January. The data shows that between Jan. 1 and Oct. 15, 2024, there were 74 ICE arrests in Colorado, while during the same period in 2025 the number increased to 3,230 arrests. Sentinel emphasizes that this represents a fundamental shift in enforcement strategy.
According to Sentinel, the Trump administration pledged to carry out what it described as “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country,” with the goal of removing an estimated 12 million immigrants living in the United States without permanent legal status. As Sentinel explains, the pledge applies regardless of how long individuals have lived in the country, whether they have U.S.-citizen family members, or whether they have criminal records.
Sentinel further reports that 2025 saw highly visible ICE operations in major cities nationwide, accompanied by billions of dollars in new funding for the agency and internal pressure to meet daily arrest quotas. Sentinel notes that in Colorado, daily arrest averages rarely exceeded 10 per day in 2024 but spiked significantly in 2025.
Sentinel reports that the data also highlights a shift in where arrests are taking place. According to Sentinel, Monique Sherman, detention program managing attorney at the Rocky Mountain Immigration Advocacy Network, explained that the data aligns with what her organization has observed on the ground. Sherman told Sentinel that a much larger share of people detained in 2025 were apprehended internally, including at homes, workplaces, or during traffic stops.
Sentinel notes that despite public statements by ICE emphasizing criminality, its analysis found that most individuals arrested in Colorado this year did not have criminal convictions. Sentinel reports that 36 percent were arrested for immigration violations, and 26 percent had pending charges. Sentinel notes that the most common listed charge among those arrested was driving under the influence, followed by assault, drug offenses, traffic offenses, and illegal reentry, and that Denver County recorded the highest number of ICE arrests, followed by El Paso, Arapahoe, Mesa, Adams, and Pueblo counties.
As Sentinel’s reporting makes clear, the data reflects a rapid expansion of immigration enforcement in Colorado, a shift toward internal arrests, and a growing disconnect between public rhetoric and the criminal histories of those arrested.
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