A gang member arrested and then targeted by immigration agents in Garfield County in June has been sentenced in federal court to a year in prison, prompting the Sheriff’s Office to target an immigrant-rights organization for what it called “mistruths.”
David Centeno was arrested in Glenwood Springs during the annual 2011 Strawberry Days celebration for a slew of outstanding warrants. The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition accused the Glenwood Springs Police Department and other agencies of profiling during the festival.
In a news release Wednesday, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office accused CIRC of using “propaganda, mistruths and bullying tactics.”
“It is imperative for the safety and security of our country that we allow our judicial process to determine the guilt or innocence of those charged,” the department said.
However, CIRC spokesman Alan Kaplan said his organization had nothing to do with Centeno’s case.
“We knew David had an arrest record and ran from the police,” Kaplan said. “The sheriff is trying to use this tactic that ties us to David in order to discredit us in the valley.”
During the two-day festival last year, Sheriff Lou Vallario said, several people ended up being contacted by officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Vallario says CIRC filed a civil-rights suit against him and deputies involved in the arrest of Centeno.
Kaplan said a lawsuit was filed against Vallario and deputies involved in a different man’s arrest but not in Centeno’s case. The suit was filed by a local attorney. Kaplan said CIRC is a policy group, not a legal one.
“We were upset it was happening at a public event, and our concern was that the sheriff and ICE conducted their work unjustly and defied regulations,” Kaplan said.
Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, klee@denverpost.com or
