TO OUR COMMUNITY IN EAGLE COUNTY, Last week was difficult. ICE was active in our communities. At least nine people were detained, and ICE agents were seen near restaurants and hotels. The fear was real because what happened was real. From our office in Avon, we were answering calls as this unfolded. Family members called looking for loved ones. Workers and managers — Latino and non-Latino — called after seeing ICE with their own eyes outside their workplaces. Everyone was re

Delvin Francisco Rodriguez was detained by ICE on Colorado’s Western Slope in September and died in December after he was transported to a detention center there. His family wants answers.

This week in Eagle County, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crossed a clear and dangerous line. After detaining nine Latino community members, ICE agents left ace of spades cards—widely known as the “death card”—inside the abandoned vehicles. The cards, later found by family members, clearly identify ICE’s Denver Field Office. Card found by family The ace of spades has a long history as a tool of intimidation , from psychological warfare during the Vietnam War to its

Blog was updated to reflect that at least 10 people were detained in Eagle County on January 21, 2026. Voces Unidas has confirmed that in early morning of Wednesday, January 21, 2026, ICE agents carried out a series of fake traffic stops on Highway 6 near Exit 171 (Minturn exit). ICE agents stopped four vehicles as those individuals were heading to work. These fake traffic stops resulted in the detention of eight community members. Another person was detained later that morni

In multiple cases, families say their loved one was ordered released or posted bond — but never walked out of the Garfield County Jail. Instead they were detained by ICE.

A federal court in California has issued a nationwide ruling that restores access to bond hearings for thousands of immigrants who entered the country without inspection and were not detained at the border. These are people the federal government has been holding without any opportunity to request release on bond. In the recent Maldonado Bautista decision, the court rejected the federal government’s policy and the Board of Immigration Appeals’ earlier framework known as Mat

A federal judge in Colorado has ruled that ICE cannot rely on blanket assumptions to justify warrantless arrests in our state. Under the decision, ICE officers must show probable cause of an immigration violation and provide specific evidence that the person is a flight risk before detaining someone without a warrant. The ruling responds to what many families have described for months: detentions carried out with little explanation and no individualized review. The court mad

The events in Durango this week have had a profound impact on Colorado, particularly on the Western Slope. A normal school morning became a nightmare for the Jaramillo Patiño family. Early Monday, immigration officers pulled over a father driving his 15-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter to school and misidentified him as someone else. Instead of correcting the error and letting the children get to class, federal agents arrested and detained the dad and both kids. Agents

When Rafael would drive, his sons and family would joke that he drove too slow, like an old man. It was especially true when he would drive his work truck. So the red and blue lights with sirens on Monday morning were a surprise. Especially when the law enforcement officer who walked up to the vehicle said he had pulled him over for speeding. Still, Rafael handed over his driver’s license, thinking he was handing it to a local police officer. But as soon as the man in the bul

José was dropped off in Chiapas, Mexico, on a Wednesday this month, about 2,000 miles away from his family’s hometown, with nothing but the clothes on his back. Those clothes were blood stained from the arrest, when he says ICE agents beat him. He had no money, and U.S. immigration officials had kept his Mexican identification and passport. His first order of business, after he was able to call his family to check in: finding a shelter and a new set of clothes that weren’t co

A new poll of Latinos in Colorado shows a high level of distrust for local police and government.  It’s no surprise to us as we've...

When Luis Armando Rivas Martinez thought he was being followed by a silver car, he told his family, but tried to brush it off as nothing. But on Tuesday, June 3, while walking out of the WalMart in Glenwood Springs, the silver car was back, and this time, it was joined by two other vehicles identified as belonging to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. The uniformed Garfield County Sheriff Deputy asked Luis to confirm his name, and then an officer with a black vest and the

Voces Unidas has unfortunately learned of two more cases that raise our suspicions that another local government agency could be...

Voces Unidas is following reported cases of law enforcement collaborating with ICE in possible violation of the law. In one of the most...

Voces Unidas has been following the lawsuit brought against Gov. Polis suggesting that he directed state employees to turn over personal...

The unprecedented pending agreement  to allow the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to provide tax data to Immigration and Customs...

Voces Unidas is pleased to learn that Mind Springs voted not to pursue a contract with ICE at this time. This decision comes after Voces...