DURANGO, Colo. (KREX) – A peaceful protest in Durango escalated Tuesday regarding the recent detainment of a family by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Federal agents pepper-sprayed demonstrators as they linked arms to block the outside of the ICE facility in Durango.
The protest stemmed from the arrest of two children, ages 12 and 15, and their father. According to the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC), ICE detained the asylum-seeking family from Colombia on Monday. CIRC stated this happened despite the family having strong ties to the Durango community over the past 18 months and having a fully documented, pending asylum case.
ICE reportedly transferred the two children to an undisclosed location, separating them from their father. The family has no criminal record and has been compliant with ICE reporting requirements, according to the center.
“ICE has forcibly separated a family, and now the community does not know where the children are,” Enrique Orozco-Perez, co-executive director of Compañeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center, said in a news release. “This is a deliberate and cruel tactic to instill fear in our communities. We demand to know where these children have been taken and call for their immediate reunification with their family.”
Regarding the protest, Colorado State Patrol said in a statement Tuesday that it was requested by local law enforcement to respond to the ICE field office to ensure public safety, and it did not participate in immigration enforcement. CSP helped in de-escalation and protection of all involved to maintain peace and address any unlawful behavior, according to the statement.
“Members of the Colorado State Patrol did not use any weapons or chemical munitions,” CSP stated.
According to CIRC, witnesses said ICE agents acted with “unprovoked aggression.”
“Despite our members remaining entirely peaceful, an ICE agent violently punched one of our community members in the face,” a spokesperson from the Southwest Colorado Rapid Response Network said in a news release. “This excessive force against peaceful protestors is unacceptable and underscores the brutal tactics ICE is willing to employ.”
