The suspicion that federal immigration agents could be active in Summit County this week spread throughout the county starting on Monday, Sept. 8.

A message shared by Mountain Dreamers, a Summit County-based immigrant advocacy nonprofit, stated Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could be planning operations in the county for Thursday, Sept. 11. Another immigrant advocacy nonprofit, Voces Unidas, posted on Facebook Sept. 8 that it had heard a rumor in Summit County about a “possible ICE operation” on Sept. 11. President Alex Sanchez said there was “no evidence” to support the claim.

Executive director Peter Bakken said his group heard over the weekend that federal agents had been looking for a place to stage a law enforcement operation in the county, planning for it to take place Sept. 11.

“This was sometime last week,” Bakken said. “I don’t know what they were planning.”

Mountain Dreamers removed its post and shared another Sept. 8 that stated the Dillon Ranger District offices in Silverthorne “will not be utilized by Federal Migration Agents,” but agents are likely to use another location.

“An organization was spreading a rumor that we already knew about,” Sanchez said. “We chose … not to spread it because we could not verify it independently.”

Sanchez added local authorities did not provide any evidence to support the rumor. He said people talking about it were acting “in good faith,” but “good intentions don’t always turn into good impact.”

“We need to make sure that nonprofits, government officials and elected officials are acting in a responsible manner,” Sanchez said. “We cannot traumatize people more than they already are.”

Voces Unidas’ post stated most local leaders do not know about ICE operations in advance, and although there has been a “surge in federal activity in Colorado” in recent weeks, the organization found no “credible intelligence” that an operation would occur in the county Sept. 11.

Bakken and Sanchez both emphasized the importance for immigrants of being prepared for interactions with immigration agents, regardless of speculation about when operations could occur.

“We need to be able to be resilient for four years, or three-plus more years,” Sanchez said. “We need to figure out how to best work as communities.”

Mountain Dreamers and Voces Unidas both have resources on their websites to help immigrants prepare. Sanchez said Voces Unidas posts daily about any confirmed immigration enforcement activity in Summit and surrounding counties.

Voces Unidas has a hotline for people to report ICE activity or request help for affected families, which is 970-340-8586. It also emphasizes the importance of immigrants knowing their rights.

Sanchez said most of the cases Voces Unidas has dealt with since January where people are detained by ICE have involved people not knowing their rights and offering information.

“The stop turned into a detention turned into a formal arrest, and eventually the proceedings happened,” Sanchez said. “Knowing your rights has been well documented to work.”

Both Voces Unidas and Mountain Dreamers have information about immigrant rights on their websites. For a full list of information on legal rights, visit MountainDreamers.org/knowyourrightsimmigration.

Sanchez also mentioned the importance of “family planning,” encouraging immigrants to think about what they will do if their family members are separated. He said contacting and establishing a relationship with an immigration lawyer before any issues arise can be helpful.

“Discuss about what happens with minors and who can take care of kids in the worst-case scenario,” Sanchez said. “As harsh and as traumatizing this process is, this process is not new to our communities.”

Voces Unidas has resources for making a family plan on its website.

Bakken said Mountain Dreamers has seen an “outpouring of support” for the immigrant community since the weekend.

“We’ve had lots of folks offering to volunteer with us and help out in any way they can,” Bakken said. “We’re just gonna be prepared for whatever happens, and hopefully nothing will.”