Aurora demands accountability, freedom for those in the GEO Detention Center

Aurora, CO – On Saturday, May 24, the community came together at the GEO Detention Center to stand in solidarity with immigrants everywhere. Shouting chants like “Free Hector, free Jeanette, free them all,” the message was clear – the Aurora community stands united with all immigrants and demands an end to family separation.

The gathering was hosted by Aurora Unidos CSO, whose responded to the call for a National Week of Action organized by the Legalization for All Network.

Since Trump took office, he and his administration have escalated the attacks on Chicanos, Mexicano’s, Central Americanos and Haitian immigrants. From canceling student visas, to ending long standing programs like Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the Trump administration is looking to expand the pool of Black and brown people eligible for deportation while welcoming white “refugees” from South Africa.

Ryan Stitzel, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, assessed what is happening in Aurora, “These historic upsurges in violent repression can be terrifying. Of course, that’s the point: to terrorize. In fact, this isn’t the first time the U.S. government has betrayed the promises it made to incoming immigrants. This isn’t the first time immigrant communities have been terrorized by mass deportations, and, like every time before, this ’campaign‘ has nothing to do with immigration law and everything to do with the terror being created in the process.”

The community has seen the effects of these policies; people are afraid to go to work, afraid to send their children to school, and afraid to receive medical care.

While Colorado is not immune to attacks, it does have some of the most extensive protections in place for the immigrant community. Colorado’s legislature recently passed Senate Bill 276, which closes data privacy loopholes and ensures warrants are required for ICE presence in certain spaces, such as schools, clinics and libraries, taking away some of the teeth of federal attacks. While we can expect to see blatant disregard for these laws, the Colorado community demands transparency and accountability, and will continue to show up for immigrants like Hector Borjas Santos.

On April 23, Santos was riding his bike near his family’s home when ICE illegally arrested him, and he’s been detained at the GEO Detention Center in Aurora ever since. At the event outside the center, Santos’ wife Ari shared that “he attempted to pull out his phone to record, but police began to draw their weapons and told him that he wasn’t allowed to record them.”

Alfredo Carbajal with Aurora Unidos CSO reiterated the community’s commitment to standing with immigrants, saying, ”Hector has never committed a crime and this exposes the truth of what this government actually wants – to keep the people under control through fear and violence, to wear us down until we feel hopeless and apathetic. But we will not give up, we will keep fighting. Hasta la victoria!”

Upon completion of the protest, attendees were welcomed to join organizers in distributing Know Your Rights information in the nearby neighborhood to help keep others safer.

#AuroraCO #CO #ImmigrantRightsMovement #AUCSO #FRSO #L4A