Recently trained Colorado troopers arrested 48 suspected illegal immigrants in a sweep along Interstate 70 on Tuesday near the Eisenhower Tunnel, officials said.
“That’s a good big number for us,” said Jeff Copp, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement district chief based in Denver.
It was the first roundup by Colorado State Patrol officers deputized by ICE to process suspected illegal immigrants.
In the joint operation between ICE and the State Patrol, three cars were stopped for traffic violations and a fourth was stranded beside the road, said state Master Trooper Ron Watkins.
All of the immigrants who were detained were from Mexico, ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok said. An infant who is a U.S. citizen was with one family of illegal immigrants, Rusnok said. The baby was to return to Mexico on Tuesday, he said.
The cars had as many as 15 people inside, Rusnok said.
State troopers began at 9 a.m. to look for possible illegal immigrants on I-70 between the Eisenhower Tunnel and Vail Pass.
Troopers could stop cars only for traffic violations, Watkins said. When they suspected that occupants of the cars might be illegal immigrants, they investigated further.
The suspected illegal immigrants will be taken to an Aurora detention center before they are deported to their home countries, Copp said.
The Colorado State Patrol unit of about 25 troopers completed training at the beginning of July, Watkins said.
They were trained by federal agents to operate under the authority of ICE, Copp said. The training is part of a national program to fight illegal immigration.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
