Tenants at the Cedar Run Apartments, which federal authorities raided last month looking for unauthorized immigrants, have filed a lawsuit against the owners citing deplorable living conditions at the complex.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Denver County Court.

“Cedar Run Apartments are unsafe — not because of the race, language, or immigration status of its residents — but because of systematic failures by its landlord to maintain the premises in safe, habitable condition,” the complaint states.

Some of the health and safety issues include hallways littered with needles and drug paraphernalia, human waste, missing smoke detectors and fire extinguishers as well as exterior doors that do not lock or shut, leaving them “vulnerable to break-ins and crime,” according to the complaint.

“If we want to address the problems, we’ve got to pin the blame where it belongs and that’s out-of-state investors,” Eida Altman, executive director of the Denver Metro Tenants Union, told The Denver Gazette Tuesday.

Located in southeast Denver, Cedar Run is a 384-unit complex built in 1970 that offers one-and two-bedroom apartments near Cherry Creek. The complex is owned by Gelt Venture Partners, which purchased the property in 2019.

“It has been troubled for some time,” Altman said of the property. “It really took a turn with the purchase by Gelt.”

The property has had 38 complaints since 2023 with 17 citations totaling more than $60,000, said Amber Campbell, a Denver Department of Public Health and Environment spokesperson. Only seven of the citations have been paid. Two are in appeal and the remaining are either past due or in collections. The outstanding fine amount is $41,249.

Two liens totaling $31,000 have been placed on the property, Campbell said.

Keith Wasserman, Gelt co-founder and managing partner, could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

Last month, federal agents raided the apartment complex while searching for “wanted drug traffickers.”

Three people have died at the complex from fentanyl poisoning in the last month, according to the Rocky Mountain Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have made arrests in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Miami and New York City.

Colorado was thrust into the national spotlight last fall after a Venezuelan prison gang known as Tren de Aragua (TdA) took over at least two apartment complexes in Aurora.

The gang is linked to criminal activities that include human trafficking — particularly of immigrant women and girls — drug trafficking, kidnapping, and money laundering.

While many of the tenants at Cedar Run are immigrants, the TdA gang does not appear to be operating in the complex, Altman said.