Emergency protest “From LA to Denver: ICE OUT!”
Four coalitions in Colorado are coming together tonight for an emergency protest, in light of attacks on protestors and undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles.
Denver’s Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSL), along with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC), labor union CWA 7799, and 50501 Colorado, will host the protest at the Colorado State Capitol tonight, starting at 5:30 p.m.
The emergency solidarity protest in Denver is an organized response to mass street protests in Los Angeles. Beginning on Friday, local police and federal immigration officials entered LA to conduct widespread immigration raids. Community members came together in the tens of thousands to protect their neighbors from detention and to rebuke Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Donald Trump responded by calling in thousands of California National Guard troops, as well as at least 700 Marines.
According to Democracy Now!, organizers say many of the protests have been successful at preventing ICE arrests and detention.
In an Instagram post promoting tonight’s protest in Denver, organizers said, “The people of Los Angeles have taken a courageous stand against Trump’s reign of terror targeting immigrant families. In response, the administration has falsely labeled those taking to the streets as “rioters” and called in thousands of National Guard soldiers for a crackdown… This could be a turning point where the entire working class unites to push back Trump’s efforts to shred our basic rights and dignity.”
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Polis criticized over ICE subpoena
Two Colorado labor unions will join Scott Moss in his lawsuit against Gov. Jared Polis responding to U.S Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) subpoenas. The suit accuses Polis of turning over personal information of undocumented, unaccompanied children to ICE.
Moss alleges that Polis’ decision to fulfill the request of the subpoena and require state employees to comply violates state law. Polis has agreed not to fulfill the subpoena until a judge rules on the legality of it.
Colorado Workers for Innovative and New Solutions (WINS) president Diane Byrne called the decision “morally reprehensible.” That group, along with a federation of labor unions, are set to join the lawsuit.
The governor’s office has maintained that it can legally turn over the personal information because the subpoena is a part of a criminal investigation regarding child abuse; however, no further evidence of that claim has been supported besides the subpoena itself.
A copy of the subpoena obtained by The Denver Post describes a civil statute related to “investigative activities” that would help ensure child safety, not allegations of child abuse. The subpoena also doesn’t reference a specific criminal investigation. It relates to civil immigration enforcement and the “expedited removal of inadmissible arriving aliens.”
Polis spokesperson Shelby Wiemann publicly pointed to a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security, wherein the department said, “These welfare checks are not primarily immigration focused, but if ICE agents or officers encounter individuals who are in the United States illegally, they take them into custody and process them for removal in accordance with federal immigration law.”
Honduran woman released from Aurora
A Honduran mother who ICE detained nearly eight months ago was released from the GEO ICE Detention Facility on Monday.
Carla Medina won her asylum case in May, but remained in the custody of ICE until just recently because the federal government reserves the right to appeal on a single issue.
Medina and her family initially sought asylum in 2023, with Medina saying she feared domestic violence and threats from her ex-partner in Honduras.
While she was still in her asylum process, Medina was picked up by ICE agents back in October while she was attempting to deliver an order for DoorDash to Buckley Space Force Base. Medina said she had her work permit at the time.
Immigration-focused organizations that worked with Medina are celebrating her release, according to The Denver Post.
Megan Trussell: Review requested
Senator Janice Marchman wants state investigators to look further into 18-year-old Megan Trussell’s death – which was ruled a suicide last month by the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
Marchman said in an email to Attorney General Phil Weiser that Trussell’s death, and the investigation into it by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, exposed potential gaps in the state’s laws and policies. Marchman cited several pieces of untested evidence and the sheriff’s office’s delay in requesting help from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation as concerning.
Megan Trussell was last seen leaving her dorm around 9 p.m. on February 9, and her body was discovered in “hard-to-reach terrain” near the forty-mile marker of Boulder Canyon Drive six days later.
In a press release at the conclusion of the investigation, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said they found no evidence of foul play. Coroner officials said Trussell died from a combination of the toxic effects of amphetamines and hypothermia.
Marchman, who represents parts of Boulder and Larimer Counties, told The Denver Post that some of her constituents are “deeply concerned” about how the case was handled.
The family has disputed the ruling of suicide and said they plan to pursue a private autopsy.
Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson said he believes detectives and deputies conducted a thorough investigation based on available evidence, and met with Trussell’s family attorney several times to discuss the case.
Senator Marchman told the Post that she’s working on legislation to strengthen statewide investigatory standards in youth and Indigenous death cases, adding that, “People want to know that when someone goes missing, especially a young person, every possible step is taken — quickly, thoroughly, and with care.”
Boulder Jewish Festival: Largest ever
Sunday’s Jewish Festival in Boulder is being called the event’s largest ever, with some 15,000 people attending.
The festival took place exactly one week after an attack on a Run For Their Lives gathering injured at least twelve people. The June 1 attack on a peaceful demonstration in support of Israeli hostages happened just outside the Boulder County Courthouse.
There was especially heavy security at Sunday’s Jewish Festival, including on the roof of the courthouse. Police snipers, drones, and barricades were all present, according to the Boulder Reporting Lab.
Organizers said that in the aftermath of the attack they debated whether to go ahead with Sunday’s festival. In the end, they decided the event could have a positive effect on a community that needed to be together following all the grief of the attack.
The founder of the Boulder Run For Their Lives said that in spite of the violence against them, they would not stop until all of the hostages in Gaza are home.
The only suspect in the June 1 attack, a 45-year-old Egyptian man, faces more than one hundred felony counts, including attempted murder, and a federal hate crime charge. He remains in custody and is due back in court for a preliminary hearing next week.
