CENTENNIAL, Colo. (KDVR) Three men accused of kidnapping and torturing a couple at an Aurora apartment complex were in court Monday.

They had previously been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. Their case stems from an incident that made headlines at the Edge at Lowry apartment complex on Dec. 17, 2024. That’s when Aurora police detained 19 people on suspicion of kidnapping and torturing a Venezuelan couple at the complex.

Three of the 19 people detained were released after investigators interviewed them, and the last 16 were being held by ICE, according to the Aurora Police Department. In January, police announced charges against nine people. The other seven remained under investigation as of Jan. 13.

A large number of officers went to the apartment in the middle of the night. It is the same complex where armed men, who are believed to be associated with a Venezuelan gang, were seen on surveillance video months earlier. Police said that some of the people detained in December are members of Tren de Aragua.

Because of previous problems with some undocumented immigrants at the complex, ICE agents were present, according to law enforcement. The presence of ICE agents at the operation has been criticized by civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.

The three suspects, 26-year-old Andres Alexander Liendo-Padilla, 24-year-old Javier Alexander Alvarado Parada and 22-year-old Jesus Alberto Alejos Escalona all appeared in court separately.

There were at least five sheriff’s deputies watching the suspects as they stood before a judge during the first advisement hearing. affiliate KDVR was told the suspects are facing both civil and criminal charges. 

affiliate KDVR asked retired Denver ICE Field Office Director John Fabbricatore about the process.

“ICE can choose to follow through with the deportation process. It’s a separate process from the criminal prosecution, which they are facing. But ICE does not want to do that. They would rather see these individuals who committed crimes inside the United States face prosecution,” Fabbricatore said.

During the hearing Tuesday, the judge issued a $250,000 cash or surety bond, according to a spokesperson for the Arapahoe County’s District Attorney’s Office spokesperson. It is not clear who will maintain custody and decide whether the defendants will have a chance to post bond.

Immigration attorney Matthew Barringer said immigration laws can be very complicated and change from administration to administration. 

“They may stay in the Arapahoe County detention facility while those charges go through the criminal process, or they may be transferred back. We really don’t know. It’s really a case-by-case situation,” Barringer said.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office told KDVR that two of the men who appeared in court Tuesday are still in their custody. The sheriff’s spokesperson said if they bond out, the sheriff will let ICE know since there is a detainer.

Colorado law prevents local law enforcement from arresting or detaining anyone on the basis of federal civil immigration purposes. The law does not seem to prevent law enforcement from working with federal agencies on criminal immigration purposes. The laws preventing civil immigration cooperation with federal agents have been subject to lawsuits, and the case is currently under appeal.

The six remaining defendants are scheduled to make their first court appearances later this week in Centennial. 

FOX31’s Heather Willard contributed to this report.