How Do The Police Find Undocumented Aliens?

Logically, there are countless ways that police can discover an undocumented alien. However, these are the most common ways that undocumented aliens are found in Colorado:

1. A tip from someone at a workplace. An undocumented alien could be arrested at their workplace if the Immigration and Customs Enforcement “ICE” officers receive information that undocumented aliens are illegally working at a particular business. Sometimes, the ICE will investigate the business and show up with buses to arrest any and all undocumented aliens working there.

2. A traffic stop. An undocumented alien could be stopped by a Colorado police officer for a broken tail light, drunk driving, failure to use a turn signal or speeding, etc. and asked for a drivers license and proof of insurance. If a person is just visiting Colorado and resides in another state, they are not required to have a Colorado license. However, if they have been living in Colorado for more than 30 days they are required to obtain a Colorado license. There are exceptions to this rule for students who are from another state but go to college in Colorado.

3. Arrested for a criminal matter. If an undocumented alien has been arrested for a criminal matter and spends the night in jail; the jail notifies ICE that there is an undocumented alien in custody and ICE will request that the jail place an “immigration hold” on the alien until ICE can transfer the alien to the Immigration Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado.

As you can see, undocumented aliens are wise to avoid discussing their status with coworkers, follow all traffic laws, and avoid criminal activities if they want to continue to reside in Colorado without documentation.