Protest Over ICE Facility Targets GEO Official's Home In Aurora
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- A protest planned outside the home of the ICE detention center's top administrator in Aurora attracted dozens of protesters on Thursday evening. The ICE facility, run by GEO, has attracted at times, raucous protesters. But this is the first time a protest was planned outside a private home of one of the administrators.
In a protest in July, those demonstrating the policies and the treatment of detainees, replaced an American flag with a Mexican flag.
Denise Maes, Public Policy Director for the American Civil Liberties Union in Denver, talked about the planned protest.
"It's certainly not something we are supporting, we want them to go to their congressman, Congress people and legislators and ask for change," she told CBS4's Rick Sallinger.
The ACLU just this week released a report critical of conditions inside the detention facility. The organization wrote of deficiencies and even deaths of those who had been in here. But as far as protesting at the ICE processing center head's home... no way.
Maes sent a letter to the processing center administration official Johnny Choate that stated, "I do want you to know that the ACLU is in no way supportive of this protest and we certainly are not encouraging it or supporting it in any way."
CBS4's Sallinger asked her if protesting at the warden's home might do more harm to their efforts for change than good, "I hope it doesn't. I hope GEO, the warden, and others remain in their open dialogue."
Congressman Jason Crow, a Democrat representing District 6, disagrees with the protestors' tactic. He released a statement that read, "We need more oversight of ICE facilities, not the protest of individuals at their private home."
