More than 300 federal agents raided what the Drug Enforcement Administration called an “underground nightclub” in Colorado Springs early on Sunday morning, arresting at least 114 people.
The operation involved agents from the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the IRS, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Postal Service, and local law enforcement, CBS News noted.
Firearms and drugs were also seized in the raid, which took place around 3:45 a.m.
Deputy White House chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, an architect of Trump’s anti-immigration agenda, claimed the “underground nightclub” was used by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, he said on X. The raid was a joint operation between the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security.
“Part of busting up the underground nightclub in Colorado Springs included the arrest of 114 illegal aliens,” the DEA said on X. The agency added that federal agents “placed patrons (in the U.S. illegally) on buses for processing and likely eventual deportation.”
“Drugs and weapons have also been seized at this underground nightclub in Colorado Springs,” the agency said in a separate post.
Attorney General Pam Bondi also praised the raid, claiming that the “club” wasn’t only “frequented” by Tren de Aragua but also by members of the MS-13 gang. Bondi referred to them as “terrorists.”
“Cocaine, meth, and pink cocaine was seized. Two people were also arrested on existing warrants,” she added before praising President Donald Trump.
“As we approach his 100 days in office, @POTUS Trump’s directive to make America safe again is achieving results!” she wrote.
Law enforcement officials claimed that more than 200 people were inside.
DEA shared footage on X showing agents in tactical gear smashing a window as dozens of people exit the building, with some initially attempting to leave the area before being told to get on the ground by agents with weapons drawn.
Many of them complied and raised their hands, the footage shows.
DEA officials also said active-duty U.S. military personnel were at the party, some taking part as patrons and others working as private security personnel.
“It’s obviously concerning to have active duty military involved,” DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen said.
Federal agents are working with the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division, he said.
“There’s a lot of military bases here, so it’s not necessarily surprising, but we’re going to take that very seriously,” he added.
No one detained during the Colorado Springs raid has been publicly identified so far.
The arrests follow weeklong raids in Florida with ICE officers working alongside local police to make nearly 800 arrests in what officials called a “first of its kind” operation and a “preview of what’s to come throughout the nation.”
Arrests were carried out Monday through Saturday for “Operation Tidal Wave,” ICE said in a statement. The agency called the operation a “massive, multi-agency, immigration enforcement crackdown.”
The Trump administration has deployed federal law enforcement agencies into communities throughout the United States to speed up removals as part of the president’s mass deportation agenda.
The agreement between ICE and local law enforcement relies on ICE’s 287(g) authority, which allows the agency to delegate immigration-related arrests to local police. Roughly 200 Florida law enforcement agencies — including sheriff’s offices, city police departments, and college campus police departments — have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE, the most out of any state.
