Colorado Investigates After ICE Agent Caught on Video Throwing Protester During Family Detention Uproar

State authorities in Colorado are stepping in after a disturbing confrontation at a Durango protest that again places ICE actions under scrutiny and raises serious questions about accountability and transparency. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced it will investigate an incident in which an apparent federal agent was filmed throwing a woman to the ground during a demonstration outside an ICE field office earlier this week.

The protest was sparked by the arrest and detention of Colombian asylum seeker Fernando Jaramillo-Solano and his two children, who were taken into custody while on their way to school. According to the Durango-based nonprofit Compañeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center, the family has lived in Colorado for 18 months and has an active asylum case. For many in the community, the timing and nature of the detention symbolized ICE acting with cruelty rather than care.

Video published by The Colorado Sun shows an officer grabbing a woman’s phone before shoving her to the ground. The CBI said the individual “appears to be a federal agent” and confirmed it will examine whether any state criminal laws were violated, before forwarding its findings to the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. The investigation was requested by Durango Police Chief Brice Current, signaling local concern about the severity of the encounter.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis sharply criticized ICE’s conduct and secrecy surrounding the operation. “The federal government’s lack of transparency about its immigration actions in Durango and in the free state of Colorado remains extremely maddening,” Polis wrote in a social media post. He added that federal authorities should focus on “apprehending and prosecuting dangerous criminals… instead of snatching up children and breaking up families.”

Polis also confirmed that ICE failed to notify his office ahead of the detention, reinforcing a pattern in which federal immigration actions unfold without coordination or warning to state leaders. That absence of communication, combined with the use of physical force against a protester, has deepened concerns that ICE continues to operate with disregard for community trust and human dignity.

As the state investigation moves forward, the Durango incident stands as another example of ICE escalating situations that did not require aggression, harming families and residents while offering little clarity or accountability in return.

Link: CBSNews