Federal law enforcement activity targeting people living in the country illegally is ramping up in Durango, according to Compañeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center.
Over the past few weeks, the nonprofit said it has received multiple reports from community members suggesting increased targeting of immigrants. The nonprofit also reports that volunteers with the Colorado Rapid Response Network are being harassed.
In response to the apparent increase in enforcement activity, Compañeros is calling for stronger support for immigrant communities from Durango’s elected officials and greater transparency from the city’s newly created immigration task force.
Enrique Orozco-Perez, co-executive director of Compañeros, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have reportedly been targeted immigrant workers at local construction sites and food businesses, as well as some business owners.
“Employers are telling us that ICE is targeting their sites and going after people with no criminal records – good, hardworking people who have been here for a long time,” he said. “I think what people don’t realize is ICE is constantly present in our community.”
According to Compañeros, some employers have reported being told by immigration agents to avoid hiring workers from Mexico and instead hire U.S. citizens.
The organization also expressed concern about what it described as intimidation of volunteer “confirmers,” who observe and document immigration enforcement activity for the rapid response network. In a news release, Compañeros said several volunteers reported that officers appeared at their workplaces or questioned them.
Continued immigration enforcement affects the entire community, Orozco-Perez said.
“The more ICE disrupts life in this town, the more that will disrupt the rest of the economy,” he said. “And we’re talking about tourism and we’re talking about regular everyday shoppers, because we’re going to lose workers who are there day in and day out – who clean our hotel rooms, cook our food and do our landscaping during those beautiful months when it’s not cold.”
The concerns outlined in the release were meant as a “call to action,” Orozco-Perez said – a reminder of the continued impact federal immigration enforcement efforts have on the community and an appeal to city councilors for stronger action.
The organization is asking Durango’s elected officials to make clear that residents, volunteers and advocates engaged in lawful activities will be protected.
For Compañeros, that would include affirming the legality of the confirmers’ work, protecting them from intimidation and publicly clarifying the Durango Police Department’s policy regarding officer interactions with federal immigration agents.
The organization also raised concerns about the structure and transparency of the city’s Immigration Task Force.
In its news release, Compañeros said questions remain about how task force members were selected and what criteria were used. The group said a proposal submitted in November to members of the city’s Community Relations Commission and City Council has not been reviewed for months, and it is unclear whether it has been evaluated by all members involved in the process.
While the organization said it respects the confidentiality of task force members, it believes the process would benefit from greater transparency and broader community participation.
Compañeros said it is concerned about being excluded from the task force despite describing itself as a key regional stakeholder and an early proponent of the concept presented to the city.
“They (city officials) may have their qualms with me – the executive director – but there’s other folks within our organization that are ready to be in that space and work collaboratively, because I’m not the only voice in the organization,” Orozco-Perez said.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
