Immigration Enforcement Today

Separating Fact from Misconception

In recent months, there has been a surge of media coverage about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations targeting individuals living in the U.S. without authorization - including violent criminals, human traffickers, and drug traffickers - as well as reports of U.S. citizens being detained. To understand what is happening, it’s important to distinguish fact from perception.

Targeting Violent Criminals, Human Traffickers, and Drug Traffickers

Current enforcement efforts strongly focus on criminal non-citizens who pose a threat to public safety. A few recent examples:

• In June 2025, ICE announced the arrest of Orlando Diaz‑Cebada, a Mexican national who had illegally entered the U.S. at least three times, was a member of the gang “Los Pochos” linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, and was wanted in Mexico for murdering a government official. (dhs.gov)

• In August 2025, U.S. immigration authorities announced removal operations in Los Angeles that captured multiple criminal aliens: a sex offender who illegally reentered, a gang member convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, and a registered sex offender from Mexico charged with sexual penetration of a minor under 16. (dhs.gov)

• In April 2025, Romulus Mihai, a Belgian national convicted abroad of child sexual exploitation, fled to the U.S., attempted to obtain citizenship, was arrested by ICE/HSI, and removed to Belgium in July. (uscis.gov)

• A high-profile illustrative case: Victoria Sorocean, a Moldovan national convicted of murder with exceptional cruelty, evaded justice in her home country and was arrested by ICE in November 2025 in the U.S. (nypost.co)

These examples show how enforcement is applied to fugitives, traffickers, and violent offenders who have crossed into or remained in the U.S. unlawfully.

Colorado is not immune!

The Role of Illegal Entry and Re‑entry

THIS is what you are protecting!

Many of the persons targeted by ICE/CBP entered the U.S. illegally, re-entered after removal, or overstayed visas. For example:

• The Diaz‑Cebada case involved multiple illegal re-entries after previous deportations, before his final arrest in June 2025. (dhs.gov)

• Mihai entered under the visa-waiver program in 2013, never disclosed his criminal record, and attempted naturalization. (uscis.gov)

The fact that some individuals evade detection for years or repeatedly re-enter the U.S. underscores the complexity of enforcement.

The Disturbing Appearance of Some Arrests

This is what you want?

It is important to note that the sight of law enforcement removing individuals - often with handcuffs, tactical teams, or multiple officers - can be disturbing to the untrained observer. These scenes are sometimes captured by bystanders and shared widely on social media, creating a perception of excessive force. However, in most cases, these measures are used to safely apprehend individuals with violent criminal histories or those who have repeatedly evaded law enforcement, ensuring the safety of officers, the public, and even the suspect themselves.

Historical Context: Errors in Detention of U.S. Citizens

While targeting non-citizens is the clear focus, there have been occasional wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens - typically not intentional mass removals, but mistakes due to misidentification, paperwork issues, or enforcement operations getting tangled. For example:

• Jose Hermosillo, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained near the Arizona border for nearly 10 days in April 2025 before authorities confirmed his citizenship. 

• Such cases are rare relative to the number of enforcement actions but attract media attention and raise questions about safeguards and oversight.

Media Misconceptions & Clarifications

Some media narratives suggest that U.S. citizens are being “rounded up” and deported. A closer look shows:

• Most individuals arrested or removed are non-citizens with immigration violations or criminal records.

• Cases involving U.S. citizens being removed against their will are not substantiated by official records.

• Confusion often arises from conflating detention (temporary custody) with deportation/removal, or mislabeling non-citizens as citizens in media coverage.

Comparison to Historical Enforcement

Relative to historic large-scale operations, current enforcement is:

• About average in scale: Numbers of arrests and removals align with previous major enforcement sweeps.

• More visible: Social media amplifies each arrest, especially involving citizens or high-profile fugitives.

• Greater oversight: Legal protections, court access, and media scrutiny are higher than in past covert operations.

Conclusion

Current U.S. immigration enforcement focuses squarely on removing violent criminals, human traffickers, drug traffickers, and repeat immigration violators who are non-citizens in the country unlawfully. While errors do occur, including wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens, they are exceptions rather than the rule. Media narratives suggesting mass deportation of U.S. citizens are not supported by official evidence.

Including high-profile cases - such as Sorocean, Diaz‑Cebada, and Mihai - demonstrates how enforcement is applied, while a realistic understanding of the appearance of some operations can help the public interpret what they witness.