{"id":15861,"date":"2025-10-30T18:23:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T00:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cbi-to-investigate-federal-agent-who-slammed-durango-protester-to-ground\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:52:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:52:25","slug":"cbi-to-investigate-federal-agent-who-slammed-durango-protester-to-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cbi-to-investigate-federal-agent-who-slammed-durango-protester-to-ground\/","title":{"rendered":"CBI to investigate federal agent who slammed Durango protester to ground"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=07c90cb5-ec20-59e7-b64a-f190c940cac1&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1227\" alt=\"Protesters link arms while being pepper sprayed as they try to prevent vehicles from leaving an ICE facility Tuesday in Durango. (Josh Stephenson\/Special to the Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Protesters link arms while being pepper sprayed as they try to prevent vehicles from leaving an ICE facility Tuesday in Durango. (Josh Stephenson\/Special to the Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said Thursday it will investigate an incident involving a federal agent accused of throwing a protester to the ground Tuesday in Durango.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe CBI will investigate whether there were state criminal law violations during the incident,\u201d according to a news release from the agency. \u201cCBI will provide the investigation to the 6th Judicial District Attorney\u2019s Office upon its completion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Any decision to file criminal charges hinges on the discretion of 6th Judicial District Attorney Sean Murray, CBI said.<\/p>\n<p>The agency said it will not provide further comment until its investigation is concluded.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=d22307ad-c05b-5078-9915-4e0ec3654731&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" alt=\"Franci Stagi was recorded being thrown to the ground by a federal agent after the agent took her phone shortly before daybreak Tuesday morning outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Durango\u2019s Bodo Industrial Park. Now, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident. (Christian Burney\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Franci Stagi was recorded being thrown to the ground by a federal agent after the agent took her phone shortly before daybreak Tuesday morning outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Durango\u2019s Bodo Industrial Park. Now, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident. (Christian Burney\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Durango Police Chief Brice Current asked CBI to investigate a situation in which a federal agent grabbed Franci Stagi\u2019s phone from her hand and threw her to the ground outside the ICE field office Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Stagi was among dozens of people protesting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/articles\/protest-erupts-after-ice-reportedly-detains-durango-students-parent\/\" id=\"link-273ada8db314b99ab2a9cdc9c53f5d1a\" target=\"_blank\">the arrest of a father and two children<\/a> who were on their way to school Monday morning in Durango. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the family members are not lawful residents of the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>The incident was captured on video and went viral on social media.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/St5aTGJd4Rw\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Rob Lowe with CBI told <em id=\"emphasis-714673912f7c1588f7c9813777b5d697\">The Durango Herald<\/em> the agency\u2019s investigation concerns only the use of force against Stagi. It is not related to separate reports of abuse of a child and his father under ICE\u2019s custody in the field office.<\/p>\n<p>City Council held a special meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday at City Hall where Durango Police Chief Brice Current planned to deliver a presentation about the protest and conflict at the ICE field office in Bodo Industrial Park.<\/p>\n<p>The La Plata County Board of County Commissioners said in a joint statement Wednesday that the board is \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d about the events that occurred outside the ICE field office and it supports an independent investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Mayor Gilda Yazzie said federal agents\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/articles\/confrontation-escalates-between-protesters-federal-agents-in-durango\/\" id=\"link-f96248dc6e5546a50f81c89d1a1a93c3\" target=\"_blank\">use of force against peaceful demonstrators<\/a> was \u201cjust terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said she is \u201cdisturbed,\u201d yet proud of the way Durango Police Department conducted itself with limited options at its disposal.<\/p>\n<p>Durango police attempted a welfare check after receiving a report of abuse of a child who had been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs agents Monday morning. DPD was unsuccessful, having been turned away at the door to the ICE field office in Durango by federal agents.<\/p>\n<p>Police also issued parking tickets when protesters parked their cars along both sides of a narrow road near the field office after Durango Fire Protection District asked for assistance in ensuring fire trucks and ambulances had a clear path in the event of an emergency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe police department has handled themselves (to) the letter of the law and done the best they could with trying to do welfare checks on the children and trying to keep safety at the top of their agenda,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Durango police\u2019s actionable options are restricted by federal authority, Yazzie said, limiting their ability to respond to certain situations at the protest<\/p>\n<p>Yazzie said hoped to hear ideas from the public about how the city should respond to the violence that occurred this week.<\/p>\n<p>Councilor Shirley Gonzales, who went to the protest Tuesday morning and remained well after the protest ended in the afternoon, joined a lawyer and immigrant advocates in attempting a welfare check on the family, only to be turned away by federal agents.<\/p>\n<p>Gonzales told the<em id=\"emphasis-f62f998080a8f84dfcd9efa8b185e862\"> Herald<\/em> she wants the immediate release of the children and their father and to be allowed to resume the legal asylum process they have already undertaken.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, it wasn\u2019t always \u2013 at different times in our country \u2013 so violent,\u201d she said. \u201cLet\u2019s start, at a minimum, with allowing people that are in the process to complete the path that they\u2019re on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image naviga-align-left alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=49725416-b8d0-526f-8d8c-b7345b053cb2&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"975\" height=\"1556\" alt=\"Yazzie\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Yazzie<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=22033c9f-d8be-5236-a87e-644de4643dd0&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"975\" height=\"959\" alt=\"Gonzales\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Gonzales<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">Elected officials react to ICE arrests, protest and violence<\/div>\n<p>Elected officials from the local, state and federal levels reacted this week to the federal arrests of asylum-seekers, the resulting protests and the way in which federal agents responded.<\/p>\n<p>Local elected officials went the furthest in calling for action.<\/p>\n<p>County commissioners said La Plata County had no operational involvement in the incident and urged state and federal elected officials to review their employees\u2019 actions and move to correct them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe images, videos and accounts from this week have affected many people in our community,\u201d Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton said. \u201cWe share the community\u2019s desire for transparency, accountability and respectful and legal exercise of residents\u2019 First Amendment rights. Federal actions must honor the human, civil and legal rights of people and the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image naviga-align-left alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=b0f29756-855e-5ad4-89ea-10e41dba722a&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"498\" height=\"615\" alt=\"Porter-Norton\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Porter-Norton<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image naviga-align-left alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=1e85fe77-cac4-5a0e-897b-f2d1ecffda73&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"359\" height=\"502\" alt=\"Philbrick\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Philbrick<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=560cacc5-1603-5821-8d45-2f05b0bc8c3d&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"387\" height=\"387\" alt=\"Salka\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Salka<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Commissioner Elizabeth Philbrick said the violent treatment of peaceful protesters is not good for democracy and not how the community should be treated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust because something is legal, doesn\u2019t mean it is moral,\u201d she said. \u201cOur foremost concern is the well-being of all who call La Plata County home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Commissioner Matt Salka said moments like those experienced Monday and Tuesday test the community\u2019s shared values.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe remain committed to maintaining a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for every resident,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Colorado State Patrol assisted in crowd control at the request of local law enforcement, according to the agency. But troopers did not participate in any immigration enforcement actions, according to a CSP news release.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Patrol\u2019s role was to aid in de-escalation and protection of all parties present, maintain the peace, and address any identified unlawful behavior,\u201d the release said. \u201cMembers of the Colorado State Patrol did not use any weapons or chemical munitions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, protesters questioned the State Patrol\u2019s presence and level of involvement.<\/p>\n<p>The <em id=\"emphasis-393745f87b6e6f1c1d4db87f0c907fd1\">Herald<\/em> requested interviews with U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd and state Rep. Katie Stewart.<\/p>\n<p>The offices of Bennet and Hickenlooper referred the <em id=\"emphasis-b8f14baeb9f730f4af8d5290f174aa67\">Herald<\/em> to the senators\u2019 comments on social media about the violence directed toward protesters and ICE\u2019s arrest of Solano and his children.<\/p>\n<p>Hickenlooper called the family\u2019s arrest \u201canother overreach from an agency pulling people off the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=aff2564d-787e-5597-bd2e-0084924a4345&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" alt=\"Bennet\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Bennet<\/span><span class=\"credit\">dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=76bb69c6-86f9-5ef3-bbc0-87ece075db89&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"Hickenlooper\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Hickenlooper<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>\u201cInstead of going after dangerous criminals, they detained a father and handcuffed his 12 and 15 year old kids on their way to school. No due process, no probable cause. It\u2019s indefensible. ICE\u2019s inhumane treatment needs to stop,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Bennet said the Trump administration is picking up in the president\u2019s second term where it left off in his first with \u201ccruel immigration policies that separate families and traumatize minors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have always said that separating families is inhumane. These immigration efforts undermine our most sacred values as Americans, do nothing to keep the country safe, and result in trauma for the children and families targeted. The Administration must grow a conscience and reverse course now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Sophie Ulin, press secretary for Bennet\u2019s office, said in an email that Bennet introduced legislation in August that would prohibit law enforcement officers from obscuring their faces and require them to display their agency, name and a unique identifier while conducting immigration enforcement functions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSituations like this should never happen, and the Senator\u2019s legislation would increase transparency, accountability, and safety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Hickenlooper joined Bennet and Democratic U.S. Sens. Mark Warner, Tim Kaine and Angus King to introduce the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bennet.senate.gov\/2025\/08\/01\/bennet-hickenlooper-colleagues-introduce-legislation-to-increase-transparency-in-immigration-enforcement\/\" id=\"link-f2a6dd27cdc3307a9d572ba5c298e7e5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Immigration Enforcement Identification Safety Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Hurd did not respond to the <em id=\"emphasis-8e1f7f23e6c0851635e6e2fb31ad7e37\">Herald\u2019<\/em>s request for comment about the ICE-related activity.<\/p>\n<p>He did not appear to make any references to the conflict unfolding in Durango this week. Instead, posts were about a tour of his district, the ongoing government shutdown and a number of other issues.<\/p>\n<p>Stewart posted a video to her Katie for Colorado Facebook page on Monday \u2013 the day the two children and their father were arrested \u2013 in which she said, \u201cThis is not going unnoticed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said she visited the ICE field office where she checked on the children.<\/p>\n<p>She asked ICE agents if the children were being fed and cared for and had proper access to an attorney.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile the conversation was fine, I don\u2019t think I was given the truth. I do believe the kids are being fed. I don\u2019t believe that they\u2019ve had access to their attorney,\u201d she said. \u201cIn fact, I\u2019m almost sure their attorney was turned away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At that point, she said, it was in the hands of the community to stand up for the children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll continue to work at the state level to see what answers I can get, but in the meantime, just know that we do care. We care and we\u2019re fighting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>ICE did not respond to questions earlier this week about its policies guaranteeing children access to an attorney while in its custody.<\/p>\n<p><em id=\"emphasis-0558a7ea608af74bdf92aae88e807caf\"><a href=\"mailto:cburney@durangoherald.com\">cburney@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elected leaders from local, state and federal levels react to ICE\u2019s response<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[168,28,904,993,869],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-15861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-crime","tag-headlines","tag-immigration","tag-investigation","tag-public-officials"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15861"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20966,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15861\/revisions\/20966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15861"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=15861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}