Rural Communities Unite To Protect Their Immigrant Neighbors

Rural Communities Unite To Protect Their Immigrant Neighbors

Rural Communities Unite To Protect Their Immigrant Neighbors This article was originally published by  the Daily Yonder , which is dedicated to uplifting the stories of rural people. In Southwest Colorado, increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity has prompted local groups to organize to protect immigrants and arm residents with knowledge about their constitutional rights when dealing with federal law enforcement. In 2025, approximately 20 people have been detained by ICE in La Plata County, Colorado, said Beatriz Garcia Waddell, a Western Slope community organizer with Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. Among these incidents was an arrest on August 18 in Aztec, New Mexico, a small town bordering Southwest Colorado. Jorge Martin Ortiz-Rosalez was arrested in his own car in front of his wife and daughters. Their windows were smashed-in by law enforcement, even as Ortiz-Rosalez yelled that his children were in the car. No arrest warrant was served, according to a Durango …