x
Breaking News
More () »

No ICE activity has been confirmed in the metro area over the weekend

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says the agency is prioritizing "violent criminals," not the whole undocumented immigrant population.

DENVER — A senior White House official confirmed to NBC that deportation raids have started in the U.S.

The raids -- which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is calling "targeted enforcement"-- are going after 2,000 people living in the U.S. without legal documentation. 

Denver is one of the cities where ICE raids were expected. As of Sunday evening though, there haven't been any confirmed arrests in the metro area.

Still, immigration lawyer David Simmons knows the situation is serious. 

"As an attorney, the first thing I tell people is, when ICE knocks on the door it's probably too late," Simmons said. 

Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that he would not divulge any operational details of the ICE raids, additionally choosing not to answer a question about whether immigrant families will be separated. 

"In the same way I wasn't willing to talk about operational details, that would be an operational detail that I'm not going to comment on," Cuccinelli said. 

Cuccinelli emphasized that the agency is prioritizing "violent criminals" - not the whole undocumented immigrant population. 

Still, many are afraid. 

"People who are undocumented walk out the door every morning knowing that they may not come home," Simmons said. 

Community organizers in Denver say they're working to help people who may be targeted by ICE as much as they can.

RELATED: Community prepares for possible ICE action with Rapid Response Network

RELATED: Western Conservative Summit talks immigration ahead of planned ICE raids

SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS

Before You Leave, Check This Out