Protesters, Durango police respond to ICE arrest of family in southwestern Colorado

Chaos erupted outside of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Tuesday in southwestern Colorado after agents took a family into custody and Durango police tried to get the children released. The arrest and subsequent protest have sparked outrage from some in the small city and statements denouncing ICE's actions from local immigrant advocacy groups.

After Tuesday's publication of this story, ICE told CBS News Colorado on Wednesday that it couldn't comment on the two children they detained, but said the father has been sent to a detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. However, CBS News Colorado confirmed with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition that the children were able to call their mother on Wednesday and said they were in an ICE facility in southern Texas.

In a now-widely circulated video, a masked agent took a 57-year-old woman's phone as she recorded the events and as she tried to retrieve it, he threw her to the ground. The agent is only identified with a patch on his vest that reads "police" with a badge next to it.

She and other protesters characterized it as theft and assault. This all unfolded around 6 a.m.

"I was videotaping this ICE agent, and I said to him -- because they swear that they're good Christians, right? -- and I said to him, 'you're a good Christian, right?' Looking him in the eyes, and I said, 'what would Jesus do?' and that's when he flipped out and- I don't know if he grabbed my phone or flicked it out of my hands, that's sort of a blur to me," Franci Stagi told CBS News Colorado in a Zoom interview on Tuesday. "Then I had my knee-jerk reaction of sort of going after my phone, which I shouldn't have done, but I don't know, I just- so I did touch him on the shoulder after he grabbed my phone."

That's when Stagi said the agent reacted violently.

"He grabbed me by the hair, and he lifted me off the ground somehow, in a chokehold. It's still really blurry, but I've seen the video myself," she said, choking up in tears as she recalled. "Then he and two other ICE agents were over top of me which- they're huge people and it's just pretty surprising that this would happen."

Stagi described herself as a 5-foot-2-inch waitress and worries about how children in custody are being treated -- the initial reason for the protest outside the facility.

"A little girl and her brother in detention right now. What are they doing to her? It's horrible," she said. She went on to say the initial agent who grabbed her was pulled away from her by another masked agent, whose vest said "ICE."

The crowd of about 50 protesters gathered after they and immigrant advocacy groups said ICE arrested a Colombian family seeking asylum while the father took the children to school the previous day.

"Fernando works three jobs, two cleaning jobs and one at a hotel to provide for his family. The kids are part of our after-school program," said Enrique Orozco-Perez, co-executive director of Compañeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center, one of the groups supporting the family's asylum process. "I mean, these are integral members of our community."

"We are extremely worried about the condition of the children," Orozco-Perez continued.

On Wednesday, an ICE spokesperson said Fernando Jaramillo-Solano, 45, from Colombia, illegally entered the U.S. on Dec. 22, 2024, near San Diego.

That spokesperson went on to say that the actions of protesters outside the facility "delay justice," and "inadvertently" push for the release of allegedly violent criminals in the facility, whose cases are unrelated to the one the protesters gathered for. They cited the presence of three men in the facility who are accused of various violent and drug trafficking crimes.

"What these protestors hope to achieve by chaining the gates of a federally leased property is unclear. Their actions do nothing to serve the detainees they claim to support or the community, instead delaying lawful processes and creating unnecessary risks for everyone involved," the ICE spokesperson said, in part. "Attempts to disrupt operations at the Durango sub-office only delay justice and jeopardize public safety by inadvertently pushing for the release of the worst of the worst offenders."

Jaramillo-Solano was not accused of any violent crimes, per ICE's statement.

ICE did not respond to questions about the actions of the agent who grabbed Stagi's phone.

A joint statement from city leaders said Durango police officers tried to intervene in the detention of the children.

"On multiple occasions, Durango Police requested to facilitate the release of the children to their mother, but were unsuccessful. On Tuesday, the Police Department received a report that one of the children may have been in distress and potentially experiencing abuse. In response, officers attempted to conduct a welfare check and to bring food. Unfortunately, federal agents denied officers entry to the facility," the statement read, in part.

"In moments like these, our duty is not only to uphold the law, but to preserve our humanity," Durango Police Chief Brice Current said in a statement. "While we have a sworn responsibility not to interfere with federal operations, our department advocated for the children's well-being. These situations are complex and often misunderstood. I want to be clear: the Durango Police Department operates independently and remains fully committed to protecting every member of our community with compassion and professionalism."

City officials have asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to investigate the events from the protest, and because the event occurred on federal property, the city says the FBI is also investigating.

In addition to calling for the release of the children, the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition is calling for an investigation into "the use of excessive force by ICE agents against peaceful protestors" and an investigation by the Colorado Attorney General's Office into "local cooperation with ICE." The organization specifically called attention to the participation of Colorado Highway Patrol troopers.

"The presence of state troopers with ICE raises alarming questions about the level of local and state cooperation in this operation," said Gladis Ibarra, co-executive director of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. "We need immediate clarity from state officials on their role in this family's separation and the violence that followed. The people of Colorado have a right to know if their state is violating its own laws to aid in tearing families apart."

Colorado State Patrol said troopers did respond to the protest "at the request of local law enforcement," saying protesters "were reported to have blocked the facility's exit and bolted an access gate closed." The agency said troopers did not assist in any immigration enforcement action or deploy any weapons or chemical munitions.

"The Patrol's role was to aid in de-escalation and protection of all parties present, maintain the peace, and address any identified unlawful behavior," CSP said in a statement.

Colorado state law prohibits state and local agencies from assisting in most federal immigration enforcement.

"They deserve to be with their mother. They deserve to be a family," Orozco-Perez said.

On Wednesday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he's "deeply concerned about the circumstances of the detainment and movement" of the father and the two kids.

"ICE did not inform us about this operation, and has not since," he wrote on social media. "The federal government's lack of transparency about its immigration actions in Durango and in the free state of Colorado remains extremely maddening. 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. We have not been informed that any of those detained are suspected of any crime. Further, the federal government should promptly consider any asylum claims.

Durango is about 350 miles southwest of Denver and about 22 miles north of the New Mexico state line.

Stagi said she just wants the children released and reunited with their family.

"If my child was abducted and I knew where they were, I would hope that people would show up. I would hope people would show up and help me, even if they're total strangers," Stagi said. "I see you. I hear your call. I feel what you're going through. I have empathy, compassion, I want to help you and I don't know how, but by being there physically with my presence, I was hoping to help. To be another person."