A protest outside the offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Durango, Colorado, ended in tension and violence after an elderly woman was pushed by a federal agent. The incident occurred after the arrest of a Colombian family who had been living in the city for over a year and a half. According to CPR News, the ICE operation took place Monday morning when agents intercepted a father and his two young children as they were heading to school. Hours later, dozens of neighbors and activists gathered in front of the ICE offices to demand the family's release and denounce the separation of the children. Investigation into use of force and escalating protests: According to Rocky Mountain PBS, during Tuesday's demonstration, an agent violently pushed an elderly woman to the ground, an incident captured on video that prompted intervention from state and federal authorities. The Durango Police Department requested support from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the FBI to clarify the facts, as they occurred on federal territory. The protest organizers, members of the Southwest Colorado Rapid Response Network, denounced the aggression as “an act of excessive force” against a peaceful demonstration. In their statement, quoted by RMPBS, they described the incident as “an example of the brutal tactics that ICE is willing to employ against the immigrant community.” A family with active legal status and no criminal record. Enrique Orozco-Perez, co-executive director of Companeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center, explained that the detained family is originally from Colombia, has no criminal record, and has an active asylum application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. ICE reportedly moved the children to an undisclosed location, separating them from their father. For his part, Durango Police Chief Brice Current,He stated that his department acted independently and reiterated that his priority was “protecting the well-being of children.” “In times like these, our duty is not only to uphold the law, but to preserve our humanity,” he said in a statement reported by the Durango Herald.

To date, ICE has not issued any statements regarding the operation or the incidents during the protest, while federal investigations continue to determine whether there was excessive use of force by agents.