Colorado Dems demand answers on ICE "death cards," alleged fake traffic stops

Some Democratic Colorado lawmakers are demanding answers aft reports that "death cards" were left successful the vehicles of radical detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and implicit claims that migration agents utilized fake postulation stops to detain them.

In January, ace of spades cards, oregon "death cards," were near successful the vehicles of immoderate radical detained successful Eagle County. The cards diagnostic an ace of spades with "ICE Denver Field Office" and the code and telephone fig of the ICE detention installation successful Aurora. The cards were aboriginal recovered by household members of those detained.

Voces Unidas

Some historians enactment the signifier of leaving an ace of spades arsenic a calling paper began with the U.S. subject during the Vietnam War, erstwhile Company C, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry would permission them astatine the entrances and exits of villages wherever Viet Cong members were killed, on trails, oregon connected the bodies of Viet Cong members. 

ICE released a connection saying successful portion "ICE is investigating this situation, but unequivocally condemns this benignant of enactment and/or serviceman conduct. Once notified, ICE supervisors acted swiftly to code the issue."

On Monday, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Michael Bennet, and Reps. Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen submitted a missive to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem calling for answers.

"It is unacceptable and unsafe for national instrumentality enforcement to usage this awesome to intimidate Latino communities," wrote the Colorado lawmakers. "This behaviour undermines nationalist spot successful instrumentality enforcement, raises superior civilian rights concerns, and falls acold abbreviated of the nonrecreational standards expected of national agents."

They besides expressed alarm astir thing the migration advocacy radical Voces Unidas told CBS Colorado past month: that the ICE agents imitated instrumentality enforcement officers by utilizing unmarked vehicles with sirens to behaviour fake postulation stops successful bid to detain people.

"We are profoundly acrophobic by the allegations that the national agents were utilizing sirens to falsely enactment arsenic section instrumentality enforcement. This behaviour leads individuals to judge they are lawfully required to propulsion implicit for a postulation usurpation when, successful reality, the national authorities has nary authorization implicit section oregon authorities postulation regulations. Federal agents acting successful disguise arsenic section instrumentality enforcement is misconduct and should beryllium treated arsenic such," the lawmakers said.

CBS Colorado reached retired to some ICE and DHS connected Tuesday for a effect astir the alleged fake postulation stops and truthful acold person not heard back.

The lawmakers applauded the Department of Homeland Security for condemning the "death cards" and committing to analyse the incidents and asked that accusation from the probe beryllium made available.

"To guarantee that ICE conducts operations successful a nonrecreational mode that does not see racially-motivated intimidation tactics that undermine nationalist spot successful instrumentality enforcement, we request: 

1. A ceremonial and elaborate briefing connected ICE activities successful Eagle County
2. A written study detailing the findings of the ongoing DHS probe into the incident
3. An autarkic probe by the DHS Office of Inspector General into the activities
of the Denver Field Office, which oversees ICE enactment successful Eagle County
4. Written confirmation of immoderate disciplinary oregon corrective actions taken"

The missive requests that Noem respond by Feb. 13. See the missive successful its entirety below.