The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is investigating a clash between a federal agent and a protester outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Durango after the agent was recorded grabbing and throwing the woman’s phone and pushing her to the ground.
Protesters gathered outside the ICE facility this week after agents arrested a Colombian man and his two children while the family was on their way to school Monday morning.
The family has an active asylum case and has been in Colorado for 18 months, advocates with Compañeros Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center said.
Durango Police Chief Brice Current asked the CBI to investigate in the wake of the widely circulated video, which “appears to show a federal agent use force on a woman during the demonstration,” the state agency said Thursday.
Investigators will look into whether any state criminal laws were broken during the incident and send the investigation to the Sixth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether to file charges.
ICE’s arrest of Fernando Jaramillo Solano and his 12- and 15-year-old children on Monday sparked local outcry and criticism from state officials.
Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday said Colorado officials were not informed of the operation or given any information about whether Jaramillo Solano and his children were suspected of any crimes.
“The federal government’s lack of transparency about its immigration actions in Durango and in the free state of Colorado remains extremely maddening,” Polis said in a statement on social media.
“The federal government should prioritize apprehending and prosecuting dangerous criminals, no matter where they come from, and keep our communities safe instead of snatching up children and breaking up families,” he continued.
ICE officials did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the investigation and arrests.
Durango city officials are set to hold a community meeting about the protests at 4 p.m. today.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.