AURORA, Colo. — Protesters targeted an immigration facility director at his home in an Aurora neighborhood Thursday night.
Activists that included the Denver Communists group and Abolish ICE gathered at a community center off East Bellewood Drive in Aurora before marching through nearby neighborhoods.
There was a large police presence as officers monitored the crowd. Aurora Police said they arrested three people for obstruction, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Police reported no injuries.
"We have people, my people, Latinos, in these inhumane conditions at GEO and across the country," said protester Alejo Gonzalez. "The question I'm trying to ask is not what good government can do for you, but what you have to do to have a good government."
Before they started marching, protest leaders told the group to remain on public sidewalks and streets and warned them not to go onto private property or cause any damage.
"There are a lot of instigators who try to make these movements seem like they’re hostile, like they’re violent," Gonzalez said. "We're just trying to protect our people. We're just trying to bring attention to the fact that our people are being put in these camps, and we're trying to do it in a peaceful way."
While it was non-violent, there were moments where tensions ran high.
Some protesters yelled insults at police.
Counter-protesters also gathered nearby. At times the two groups yelled back and forth at each other. As the protest weaved through the neighborhood, many neighbors came out to watch.
"[It's] very upsetting that it's at his personal property and not his place of business," said Mallory Salak, who lives in the neighborhood and said she knows the man protesters were targeting. "Very upset that he has a family, we all have families in this neighborhood that are a very tight-knit group. And they are coming and disrupting my neighborhood."
After the protest ended, Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz tweeted about his disappointment in the protesters' tactics:
Other neighbors were sympathetic to the protesters' cause and some even walked along with them.
The protest ended around 9 p.m.
A spokesman from GEO Group sent the following statement by email Thursday night:
“Tonight we breathe a sigh of relief that our employee’s family and his neighbors are safe and their properties remain intact. Unfortunately, the spectacle has set a new low in our politics and public discourse.
“We hope the community support and pushback from brave leaders opposing this dangerous idea will serve as a deterrent for any future protests targeting people in their family’s homes and neighborhoods. These misdirected attacks and intimidation of our employees must stop and we encourage our local leaders to stand against these hateful tactics and push for a return to civil discourse. Remember, our employees are also your neighbors, friends and colleagues, who share the same compassion and professionalism that many other Coloradans pursue in their trades.
“We continue to believe that these activists seeking open borders or other changes to our immigration laws should direct their thoughts and ideas to our elected leaders in their constituent offices. We can’t solve the immigration crisis from our facilities but as we’ve done over the past 30 years in Aurora, we’ll continue to provide the same high-quality, professional services we provided to both Democratic and Republican administrations.”
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