Chaos erupted outside of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Tuesday in southwestern Colorado after agents took a family into custody and Durango police tried to get the children released. The arrest and subsequent protest have sparked outrage from some in the small city and statements denouncing ICE’s actions from local immigrant advocacy groups.
In a now-widely circulated video, a masked agent took a 57-year-old woman’s phone as she recorded the events and as she tried to retrieve it, he threw her to the ground. The agent is only identified with a patch on his vest that reads “police” with a badge next to it.
She and other protesters characterized it as theft and assault. This all unfolded around 6 a.m.
A screenshot of video taken by Franci Stagi on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, shows a protest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Durango, Colorado, after protesters and advocacy groups say an 11-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy were taken into custody with their father on their way to school.
Franci Stagi
“I was videotaping this ICE agent, and I said to him — because they swear that they’re good Christians, right? — and I said to him, ‘you’re a good Christian, right?’ Looking him in the eyes, and I said, ‘what would Jesus do?’ and that’s when he flipped out and- I don’t know if he grabbed my phone or flicked it out of my hands, that’s sort of a blur to me,” Franci Stagi told CBS News Colorado in a Zoom interview on Tuesday. “Then I had my knee-jerk reaction of sort of going after my phone, which I shouldn’t have done, but I don’t know, I just- so I did touch him on the shoulder after he grabbed my phone.”
That’s when Stagi said the agent reacted violently.
“He grabbed me by the hair, and he lifted me off the ground somehow, in a chokehold. It’s still really blurry, but I’ve seen the video myself,” she said, choking up in tears as she recalled. “Then he and two other ICE agents were over top of me which- they’re huge people and it’s just pretty surprising that this would happen.”
A screenshot of video taken by an unknown protester shows Franci Stagi, left, recording a masked agent in front of an ICE facility in Durango, Colorado, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, seconds before the agent grabs Stagi’s phone.
Unknown via Franci Stagi
Stagi described herself as a 5-foot-2-inch waitress and worries about how children in custody are being treated — the initial reason for the protest outside the facility.
“If they’re doing this to me- there’s an 11-year-old girl. A little girl and her brother in detention right now. What are they doing to her? It’s horrible,” she said. She went on to say the initial agent who grabbed her was pulled away from her by another masked agent, whose vest said “ICE.”
The crowd of about 50 protesters gathered after they and immigrant advocacy groups said ICE arrested a Colombian family seeking asylum while the father took the children to school the previous day.
“Despite our members remaining entirely peaceful, an ICE agent violently punched one of our community members in the face,” a statement from the Southwest Colorado Rapid Response Network read, in part. “This excessive force against peaceful protestors is unacceptable and underscores the brutal tactics ICE is willing to employ.”
A spokesperson for ICE’s Denver Field Office and the Department of Homeland Security — ICE’s parent agency — in Denver, said the agency was looking into the incident and questions about the family’s arrest and likely wouldn’t have a response or statement until Wednesday.
A joint statement from city leaders said Durango police officers tried to intervene in the detention of the children.
“On multiple occasions, Durango Police requested to facilitate the release of the children to their mother, but were unsuccessful. On Tuesday, the Police Department received a report that one of the children may have been in distress and potentially experiencing abuse. In response, officers attempted to conduct a welfare check and to bring food. Unfortunately, federal agents denied officers entry to the facility,” the statement read, in part.
Durango Police Chief Brice Current, right, and Deputy Chief Chris Gonzalez meet with a protester outside an ICE facility in Durango, Colorado, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.
City of Durango
“In moments like these, our duty is not only to uphold the law, but to preserve our humanity,” Durango Police Chief Brice Current said in a statement. “While we have a sworn responsibility not to interfere with federal operations, our department advocated for the children’s well-being. These situations are complex and often misunderstood. I want to be clear: the Durango Police Department operates independently and remains fully committed to protecting every member of our community with compassion and professionalism.”
The detained family has not been publicly identified, but Stagi said the girl is 11 and her brother is 14.
City officials have asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to investigate the events from the protest. Because the event occurred on federal property, the city says the FBI is also investigating.
In addition to calling for the release of the children, the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition is calling for an investigation into “the use of excessive force by ICE agents against peaceful protestors” and an investigation by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office into “local cooperation with ICE.” The organization specifically called attention to the participation of Colorado Highway Patrol troopers.
“The presence of state troopers with ICE raises alarming questions about the level of local and state cooperation in this operation,” said Gladis Ibarra, co-executive director of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. “We need immediate clarity from state officials on their role in this family’s separation and the violence that followed. The people of Colorado have a right to know if their state is violating its own laws to aid in tearing families apart.”
Colorado State Patrol said troopers did respond to the protest “at the request of local law enforcement,” saying protesters “were reported to have blocked the facility’s exit and bolted an access gate closed.” The agency said troopers did not assist in any immigration enforcement action or deploy any weapons or chemical munitions.
“The Patrol’s role was to aid in de-escalation and protection of all parties present, maintain the peace, and address any identified unlawful behavior,” CSP said in a statement.
Colorado state law prohibits state and local agencies from assisting in most federal immigration enforcement.
Franci Stagi says in a Zoom interview that she was thrown to the ground by a masked, anonymous officer or agent in front of an ICE facility in Durango, Colorado, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, while she was protesting outside the facility.
CBS
Stagi said she just wants the children released and reunited with their family.
“If my child was abducted and I knew where they were, I would hope that people would show up. I would hope people would show up and help me, even if they’re total strangers,” Stagi said. “I see you. I hear your call. I feel what you’re going through. I have empathy, compassion, I want to help you and I don’t know how, but by being there physically with my presence, I was hoping to help. To be another person.”
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