Colorado lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are calling for further investigation and transparency from federal officials after immigration agents left “death cards” in the cars of arrested immigrants in Eagle County last month.
ICE agents in unmarked vehicles reportedly arrested 10 people during imitation traffic stops, who are now being detained at the Aurora immigration facility, and left playing cards behind for their families to find, according to a letter six Congressmembers from Colorado sent Monday to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
The letter — written by U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Representatives Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow and Brittany Pettersen — called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General to open an independent investigation into the Denver field office. The group also requested a full briefing on the incidents in Eagle County and written confirmation of any disciplinary or corrective actions taken.
The ICE-branded ace of spades cards, similar to the “death cards” left on corpses by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, were stamped with “ICE Denver field office” and the address and phone number for the immigration detention center in Aurora, Voces Unidas President and CEO Alex Sánchez told The Denver Post last month.
, a Glenwood Springs-based immigrant-rights advocacy group, sounded the alarm in late January, when several of the playing cards were found in abandoned cars near Vail after federal agents arrested the occupants.
In a , Hickenlooper called the death cards “cruelty for the sake of cruelty.”
“It is unacceptable and dangerous for federal law enforcement to use this symbol to intimidate Latino communities,” Hickenlooper, Bennet, DeGette, Neguse, Crow and Pettersen wrote in the joint letter. “This behavior undermines public trust in law enforcement, raises serious civil rights concerns, and falls far short of the professional standards expected of federal agents.”
The six lawmakers said they were also “deeply concerned” by allegations that the federal agents were using sirens to falsely act as local law enforcement.
“This behavior leads individuals to believe they are lawfully required to pull over for a traffic violation when in reality, the federal government has no authority over local or state traffic regulations,” the letter stated. “Federal agents acting in disguise as local law enforcement is misconduct and should be treated as such.”
The ICE Office of Professional Responsibility is also conducting a “thorough investigation” into the incident, an unnamed homeland security spokesperson said last month. The Colorado lawmakers asked for a written report detailing the findings of that investigation.
“As the son of immigrants and the father of two young children, I am horrified by the abuses being committed by the Trump administration — from the streets of Minneapolis to right here in Eagle County,” said in a . “These outrageous, aggressive intimidation tactics are meant to stoke fear among our neighbors, and it is immoral and wrong. This administration must be held accountable, and we cannot allow this to continue unchecked.”
