ICE agents accused of leaving "ace of spades" death cards on immigrants' cars no longer on duty, DHS says
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents accused of leaving "ace of spades" cards on the vehicles of immigrants detained in Eagle County have been pulled from field duty, according to testimony in federal court from a senior official in the agency's Denver field office.
Greg Davies, an assistant field office director for ICE, told the court that the agents remain employed but are under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security. The cards have long been associated with ominous or threatening messages and were found on cars belonging to families whose relatives had just been taken into custody.
The two‑day federal hearing is examining whether ICE has violated a court order prohibiting the warrantless arrest of immigrants. On Wednesday, the judge described current ICE detentions as "unprecedented" and said testimony from ICE officers revealed a clear lack of training on DHS standards they are required to follow.
The controversy first surfaced when Voces Unidas, a Glenwood Springs-based immigrant advocacy group, reported that "ace of spades" cards had been left on two families' cars. CBS News Colorado first reported the story in late January. The organization said the imagery has ties to white supremacist symbolism and raised broader concerns about discriminatory enforcement tactics. The group has since opened two civil rights complaints.
"We think it's a move in the right direction. Clearly, putting folks who are under investigation off of field work is a step in the right direction, but that is not enough," said Alex Sanchez, president and CEO of Voces Unidas. "We have asked the congressional delegation in Colorado to demand a full investigation with the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. That demand stands."
Members of Colorado's Democratic congressional delegation have called for an independent federal investigation.
ICE acknowledged the incident and said it launched an internal review. In a statement, the agency said it "unequivocally condemns this type of action and/or officer conduct" and that supervisors acted quickly once notified. The agency also defended its broader operations, saying it maintains high professional standards while arresting and removing what it described as "dangerous criminal illegal aliens."
"If it's rogue individuals, they should not be employed, and should be nowhere near law enforcement since their actions were undignified. And what we want to know is whether this is a policy and whether there is more to it," said Sanchez.
Still, Voces Unidas called for an independent investigation last month.
"We do not believe that law enforcement can investigate themselves," said Sanchez. "We have called on elected officials to demand an independent investigation by an inspector general."
Some historians have said the practice of leaving an ace of spades as a sort of calling card began with the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, when some soldiers would leave them at the entrances and exits of villages where alleged Viet Cong members were killed, along trails, or on the bodies of killed alleged Viet Cong members.
Sanchez believes more needs to be done to make sure this doesn't happen again.
"This should not be a partisan thing. If you're a Republican, if you're a Democrat, we should all be opposed to undignified law enforcement. There's nothing dignified about using racial or racist symbolism or sending intimidation or hate symbols to any member of any community in Colorado. We should want to get to the bottom of this," said Sanchez.
