{"id":93480,"date":"2019-06-14T14:13:34","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T20:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mancos-residents-concerned-about-marshals-office-ice\/"},"modified":"2019-06-14T14:13:34","modified_gmt":"2019-06-14T20:13:34","slug":"mancos-residents-concerned-about-marshals-office-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mancos-residents-concerned-about-marshals-office-ice\/","title":{"rendered":"Mancos residents concerned about Marshal\u2019s Office, ICE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Some
Some residents raised concerns at a recent Town Board meeting that the Mancos Marshal\u2019s Office was cooperating with immigration officials.<\/span>The Journal file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Recent law enforcement activity in Mancos has led some residents to raise concerns that the Marshal\u2019s Office has been unfairly targeting local residents based on race or immigration status.<\/p>\n

Around two dozen people showed up to Wednesday night\u2019s board meeting, and five of the six public speakers voiced concerns about the Marshal\u2019s Office, in light of two recent arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.<\/p>\n

Gretchen Groenke asked that town officials review the behavior of the Marshal\u2019s Office and discuss their relationship with immigration officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the relationship the town wants to have with immigration, and what is the town\u2019s stance on utilizing local resources to enforce federal law?\u201d she asked. She cited legislation signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis that limits collaboration with ICE.<\/p>\n

In an email to The Journal<\/em> after the meeting, Mancos Marshal Justen Goodall said his office cannot stop federal agents from \u201cconducting business\u201d in town but has asked to be notified when they will be present.<\/p>\n

\"Mancos
Mancos Marshal Justen Goodall<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cThe Marshal\u2019s Office has asked any Agency to inform the Office they will be working in the town,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is so we can ensure we are present to answer any questions any resident may have.\u201d<\/p>\n

ICE detained<\/a> two men in Mancos in May. Both had lived in Mancos for several years and had been working at Chavolo\u2019s Mexican Restaurant.<\/p>\n

According to Jona Navarro, a friend and coworker of the men, the first incident happened May 9, when ICE officials pulled over Carlos Rodriguez near the Columbine Bar on Grand Avenue. The second detention occurred the morning of May 13, when Gerardo Rojas was pulled over at P&D Grocery.<\/p>\n

Speakers at the meeting were concerned about the Marshal\u2019s Office\u2019s role in the arrests.<\/p>\n

Suzanne Strazza said her understanding is that there are clear-cut lines between the roles of local law enforcement and federal agents.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy question for the board is, Are those lines being blurred?\u201d Strazza asked.<\/p>\n

In his email, Goodall said that his office did not assist ICE agents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Marshal\u2019s Office was present during the ICE detentions,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Marshal\u2019s Office does not assist other than ensuring the subject being detained is safe and any other Town resident is safe as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The speakers Wednesday, however, worried the Marshal\u2019s Office has been involved in other instances of profiling.<\/p>\n

Chavolo Ortiz, a seven-year Mancos resident who owns Chavolo\u2019s Mexican Restaurant, said he has felt harassed by the Marshal\u2019s Office. Recently, he said, he has encountered the marshal\u2019s car parked outside his home at random hours, and there have been \u201cspotlights\u201d pointed at his home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel because I\u2019m brown, they follow me or they open this investigation,\u201d Ortiz said.<\/p>\n

He added that the feeling of surveillance was impacting his sense of security in town.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t feel safe at this point,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t feel like if I\u2019m in an emergency or something, I\u2019m going to call the marshal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodall denied in his email that Ortiz was being followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Ortiz is not being followed or having a light shined on his residence,\u201d he said. \u201cThis would be unprofessional and will not be tolerated by this Office. The Marshal\u2019s Office has been (patrolling) at night with scene light to deter crimes at night since the end of February of this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has shown to be an effective method of deterring crime and will continue to be used,\u201d he added. \u201cI feel it is a misunderstanding with residents due to the recent ICE detentions in Town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor Pro Tem Fred Brooks told attendees that trustees are not permitted to respond to comments in the moment, but thanked them for coming forward. Mayor Queenie Barz and board member Craig Benally were absent from the meeting.<\/p>\n

The board did bring up the concerns at the end of the meeting, although most of the crowd had left.<\/p>\n

Trustee Cindy Simpson asked Goodall and Town Administrator Heather Alvarez whether any of the speakers had approached them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a feeling that there\u2019s a really big gap in our town, where they\u2019re just coming to us, when they should be coming to you,\u201d Simpson said.<\/p>\n

She added, though, that all residents needed to feel safe in town.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a couple people here who don\u2019t feel safe in our town, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s OK,\u201d Simpson said.<\/p>\n

Goodall said he has responded to the four people who had reached out to him, but only one wanted to speak with him in person. He is planning to hold a town hall in July. \u201cTo put to bed a lot of the rumors that are going around,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

ealvero@the-journal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This story was updated June 18 to correct the number of public speakers who spoke on this issue at the June 12 board meeting.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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