DENVER -- Colorado State Patrol troopers are joining in the fight against illegal immigration. Twenty-two troopers graduated Wednesday and became part of a new immigration enforcement unit.

They took part in an intense training to learn immigration laws and learn how they will play a role in enforcing them. Their goal is to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement identify and remove illegal immigrants from the state's highways.

"They will be able to help identify aliens with criminal convictions and make arrests," said ICE spokesman Jeff Copp.

Since Interstate 25 is a major route for human smuggling, some say it's only best that troopers who patrol this interstate are trained to crack down on the illegal activity.

"This is not a group of individuals that's going to be going on business raids. It's not a group of individuals who's going to be kicking down apartment doors looking for suspected undocumented workers," said CSP Capt. Jon Barba.

These troopers will be on the road using traffic stops to get smugglers and their human cargo off Colorado highways.

Before, CSP troopers had to call an ICE officer to the scene to determine if a person they have stopped is here illegally or not. Now the troopers can do that on their own.

ICE said it realizes that these troopers are not the answer to illegal immigration and said these troopers won't be working immigration every day. There's just not enough jail space for that.

"There are a lot of things we have to work out with ourselves and our partners. 'Who will house our illegals?'" said CSP Chief Mark Trostel.

But for now these troopers are taking an oath to protect Coloradans and the victims of smugglers.

"We believe it is the right thing to do for the state of Colorado. Human trafficking and smuggling is a growing and continuing problem in our state and in our nation," said Trostel.

Even though graduation was Wednesday, the operation won't officially start until July 1.