22-04-2025
Undocumented immigrants ask for temporary halt of Alien Enemies Act in Colorado
DENVER (KDVR) — Attorneys for two groups filed a request in federal court on Monday for a temporary restraining order on the Alien Enemies Act.
The organizations told FOX31 it is trying to prevent undocumented immigrants wrongfully accused of crimes from being illegally deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Nearly a dozen undocumented immigrants from Colorado have been sent to CECOT in El Salvador, according to the Rocky Mountain Immigration Action Network.
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The 25- and 32-year-old men are being held at the contract Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Facility in Aurora.
'They have been working, living with their families and doing all the right things. All of a sudden, because they have a tattoo, or because they were hanging out with friends at a certain apartment complex, the government is now alleging that they are members of a gang,' said Rocky Mountain Immigration Action Network Director of Advocacy Laura Lunn.
Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union and the Rocky Mountain Immigration Action Network are representing the two men named in the suit. The organizations say more immigrants from Colorado are falsely being accused of being Tren de Aragua gang members.
The advocacy network says it believes at least 11 undocumented immigrants were flown to prisons in El Salvador in March. The ACLU says it's hoping the temporary restraining order will stop that from happening again.
'So, what we are trying to do is make sure that the federal government follows the constitution, follows the law and doesn't deprive people of their liberty or perhaps their life without an opportunity to challenge the allegations,' said ACLU Legal Director Tim Macdonald.
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FOX31 has asked ICE Denver if any undocumented immigrants have been deported using the Alien Enemies Act. We have not received an answer.
The ACLU says that while two men are named in the suit, the judge's order would have an impact on any other similar cases here in Colorado. A decision is expected Tuesday morning.
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