As part of an investigation into drug trafficking, prostitution and violent crimes at an illegal underground nightclub in Colorado Springs, over 100 illegal immigrants and more than a dozen U.S. active-duty service members were detained in a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) operation on Sunday morning.
The U.S. military has told Newsweek it’s investigating the involvement of Fort Carson service members at the illegal nightclub.
“We acknowledge that there were some Fort Carson service members present at the location during the operation. Each person involved in this incident is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We will look at everyone’s situation on a case-by-case basis,” a Fort Carson spokesperson told Newsweek.
Why It Matters
Sunday’s raid comes amid heightened immigration enforcement efforts under the Trump administration, which has vowed to ramp up deportations nationwide. The administration is implementing extensive deportation operations aimed at removing millions of undocumented immigrants as part of a stringent immigration enforcement policy.
The White House said on Monday that the administration has carried out 139,000 deportations since Trump assumed office in January.
What To Know
DEA Rocky Mountain raided an illegal nightclub at around 3:45 a.m. local time in Colorado Springs on Sunday. In a video that was posted to social media, hundreds of federal agents can be seen swarming into the nightclub, apprehending attendees as they attempt to flee from the scene.
Nearly 300 people were inside the nightclub, and 114 illegal migrants were arrested, the majority of whom were from Central and South America.
The agency shared a video showing agents apprehending a group of men attempting to escape, restraining them at gunpoint, and commanding them to lie on the ground.
DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen said that individuals suspected to be involved with gangs, including Tren de Aragua and MS-13, which the Trump administration has declared terrorist organizations, were also present at the venue.
Meanwhile, more than a dozen U.S. active-duty service members were identified among the patrons at the club or working security.
Fort Carson leaders acknowledged the presence of military personnel inside the illegal nightclub, stressing that each individual’s case would be examined thoroughly.
“Fort Carson leaders are aware of the Drug Enforcement Administration-led operation that occurred at an illegal night club in Colorado Springs early Sunday morning,” a Fort Carson spokesperson told Newsweek.
Fort Carson is located south of Colorado Springs and is situated in El Paso County.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the efforts of the various agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HIS), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshals service, Army CID, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the IRS, Colorado Springs police, and the El Paso and Douglas County Sheriffs.
President Donald Trump hailed the enforcement operation in Colorado that resulted in arrests.
Nikolay Doychinov/AFP via Getty Images
What People Are Saying
A Fort Carson spokesperson told Newsweek: “Illegal activities of any kind do not represent our military values. We will continue to work in coordination with our federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to ensure our community is safe.”
President Donald Trump wrote 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, of all shapes and sizes, and Judges don’t want to send them back to where they came from.”
DEA Rocky Mountain Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan C. Pullen said at a news conference Sunday morning, per ABC17 News: “What was happening inside was significant drug trafficking, prostitution, crimes of violence. We seized a number of guns in there. We had active-duty service members who were running security at the club and involved in some of these crimes. And in fact, we had over 100 illegal aliens inside as well.”
What Happens Next?
Investigations into the presence of service members at the illegal nightclub remain ongoing.
Meanwhile, the DEA Rocky Mountain said that 114 illegal immigrants who were arrested were placed on buses for processing and “likely eventual deportation.”
