Profiles, features and long-form news stories about the people, policies and movements surrounding human migration into the United States
Case pending
Local community hopes to prevent the deportation of Cameroonian friend Martin hadn’t planned on coming to the U.S. He really hadn’t ever thought about leaving his native Cameroon. Part of the Anglophone minority, he grew up near Mamfe in the southwestern region of the country. The oldest of five children, he went to school and…
Shelter from the storm
In the face of increasingly aggressive federal immigration policies, the Colorado sanctuary movement grows When Jeanette Vizguerra entered sanctuary in the First Unitarian Society church in Denver on Wednesday, Feb. 15, she brought national attention to a growing movement of activists and faith communities around the country working to protect undocumented immigrants facing rising deportation…
Here and there
Deportation is only the beginning of the story Seated at his mother’s grave for the first time, Jose Luis Guerrero grieved not only for her, but also for his wife and children. Though still alive, they were thousands of miles away at home in Aurora. For almost 20 years, Guerrero, who goes by Luis, lived…
‘In the interest of justice’
ICE detaining and deporting those with pending criminal charges harms victims and the accused When Boulder County Deputy District Attorney Christina Rinke found out that Jose Lopez-Gutierrez had been deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), she petitioned the district court in Boulder to revoke his bond and issue a warrant for his arrest should…
Coloradans rally around immigrant parents seeking reunification with their children
On Monday, July 23, attorney Laura Lunn with the Rocky Mountain Immigration Advocacy Network (RMIAN) went to immigration court at the Denver Contract Detention Center in Aurora unsure of what would happen. She was scheduled to represent a client from Central America, who had been separated from her son at the U.S. southern border, in…
ICE detaining transgender individuals despite widespread calls for their release
In Estella’s home country of Cuba, transphobia is rampant, she says. She’s been attacked. She’s been targeted by police. There are no human rights, she says. There is no access to HIV medication. “I preferred to risk my life than continue that way,” she says through her lawyer at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network…
In lieu of a just system
New resource seeks to help ease adjustment after deportation If you’re returning to Honduras, consider covering up any tattoos and be able to explain them if asked — the tattoos might be the thing that puts you the most at risk. Once back in Mexico and Guatemala, try to blend in, not appearing too vulnerable…
No confidence in the system
A man was released from prison only to be detained by ICE — now he’s in the hospital with COVID-19 Alma Rosa Perez-Aguirre cried all the way back to Longmont from the Sterling Correctional Facility. She had left Boulder County around 5 a.m. on May 15 with her daughter and niece, driving more than 120…
The cost of becoming American
New federal fee structure is the latest barrier to immigration On July 31, United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced significant fee increases for most naturalization and benefits requests. While the agency justified the increase as an effort to address budget shortfalls, immigration lawyers and advocates decry the move, arguing it will not only…
The other Dreamers
Many young people have returned to Mexico, continuing their quest for a better life After graduating high school, Maggie Loredo was faced with a seemingly impossible choice. As an undocumented immigrant, she could stay in the United States with her family and friends, get a false social security card and work in the carpet industry,…
Angela K. Evans 