Protests in Durango ‘turn violent’ after ICE detains father, children heading to school
DURANGO, Colo. (KRDO) – A protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Durango is drawing national attention after multiple tense clashes, including an elderly woman being thrown to the ground by a masked agent, were caught on camera.
On Monday, Oct. 27, dozens of people began to gather outside the facility to protest the detention of a father and his two teenage children, who were taken into ICE custody while on their way to school Monday morning.
The protests lasted through the night, with video posted to Facebook showing a masked federal agent shoving an elderly woman to the ground around 6 a.m. on Tuesday. They culminated on Tuesday afternoon when state and local law enforcement moved in to disperse the crowd.
According to Compañeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center, Durango's only immigrant advocacy organization, the Jaramillo-Patiño family is seeking asylum from Colombia. They had lived and worked in Colorado for over 18 months, and their asylum case remains open and active with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
According to our partners at 9NEWS, Compañeros says they tried repeatedly to get ICE to release the 12- and 15-year-old children to their mother, but those attempts were unsuccessful.
But, according to the City of Durango, ICE agents told the Durango Police Department that they had, in fact, attempted to release the children to their mother. Police then stepped in to try to facilitate that release, but were told it was “no longer an option.”
On Tuesday, police say they received a report that one of the children “may have been in distress and potentially experiencing abuse.” Officers reportedly attempted to conduct a welfare check, but were denied entry to the facility.
“In moments like these, our duty is not only to uphold the law, but to preserve our humanity,” said Police Chief Brice Current. “While we have a sworn responsibility not to interfere with federal operations, our department advocated for the children’s well-being."
Durango Police say the protests turned violent when federal agents departed the facility with the father and children on Tuesday.
Colorado State Patrol (CSP) assisted in clearing protesters on Tuesday, saying that they'd received reports of demonstrators blocking the facility's exit and bolting an access gate closed.
CSP says they responded at the request of the Durango police, and their role was to "aid in de-escalation and protection of all parties present, maintain the peace, and address any identified unlawful behavior." According to police, the protest ended around 1 p.m.
Compañeros says that, as of Tuesday afternoon, they are still searching for the family's current whereabouts. Originally, they believed that the children would be transported to a facility in Texas, while the father went to Aurora. It is unclear where they are at the time of this writing.
The City of Durango says that it has asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for assistance in investigating the incident between the federal agent and the elderly protester, but CBI has not formally entered into an investigation. Since the incident occurred on federal property, the FBI is expected to investigate.
When asked by 9NEWS to comment on the situation, ICE declined.
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