The American Immigration Council, Immigrant Justice Idaho, and Immigration Equality filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Public Responsibility (OPR) urging an investigation into racial discrimination and excessive use of force at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado (“Aurora facility”). The complaint also calls for the release of both men.
The complaint contains signed declarations of two Black men detained at the Aurora facility describing personal experiences in detention including racist comments, verbal abuse, and solitary confinement. They also describe excessive use of force targeted specifically towards the Black men at the facility, including pepper-spraying, choking, and handcuffing so tightly that it causes a loss of feelings in the hands. One of the men has extensive documentation of mental health issues, which have been exacerbated by this discrimination.
