Latino Avs Fans Worried About ICE at Saturday’s Game

Latinos on social media are worried that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could profile them at the Colorado Avalanche home game at Ball Arena on Saturday, October 11.

The theme of the night chosen by the team is Hispanic Heritage Night, honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15. However, a handful of Reddit posts have asked if people should worry about ICE showing up, including one post from Sunday, October 5 that reads: “Latino here, thinking of taking my kid to this event but wondering what do you think of ICE making an appearance?”

After all, it happened on South Park, when ICE raided Ball Arena on the second episode of the new season.

In a statement to Westword, the ICE Denver field office doesn’t say whether agents will be at the game: “For operational security and for the safety of our law enforcement personnel, ICE does not confirm, deny, or otherwise discuss ongoing or future operations. The agency publicly announces operational results when appropriate.”

Neither Ball Arena nor Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Avalanche, has responded to a request for comment.

The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition constantly monitors ICE activity in the Denver area. The nonprofit’s spokesperson, Karen Orona, says that CIRC will “share the community’s concerns about the fear of ICE presence at public events.” However, she notes that “the likelihood of widespread [ICE] operations inside the arena is low,” because of all the people and action going on.

“While we cannot predict specific ICE operations, our assessment is that large, chaotic and highly public events like a sold-out NHL game present significant logistical and public relations challenges for enforcement actions,” Orona adds. “We must be clear that no public space can be guaranteed as ‘safe’ from profiling or enforcement, and the fear our community feels is a direct result of targeted political rhetoric.”

CIRC recommends carrying around “Know Your Rights” information, like print-outs, notes or screenshots of the laws protecting immigrants and citizens during interactions with ICE agents and what to do and say if arrested by them. The organization also suggests calling the Colorado Rapid Response Network, a hotline to report ICE activity (844-864-8341). According to Orona, CIRC will be monitoring the hotline the night of the Avs game.

“Our network is designed to document abuses, dispatch legal observers, and support individuals and families in crisis. Having the community’s eyes and ears on the ground is our best defense,” she adds.

ICE at Public Events

The fear comes after Kristi Noem, the head of ICE’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, said on October 4 that agents will “be all over the place” at the Super Bowl, after Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Bad Bunny was announced as the halftime performer at the February game in the Bay Area. In June, the Los Angeles Dodgers released a statement that ICE agents requested access to the team’s stadium parking lots before a home game, but the team refused entry. ICE denied the report.

ICE agents deploy to the Super Bowl every year, but usually to crack down on counterfeiting, according to DHS. Activists have also demanded that ICE stay away from the upcoming FIFA World Cup games that start in June and will take place in Miami, Los Angeles and Houston (as well as Mexico and Canada).

In the Denver metro, ICE has arrested hundreds through raids and individual arrests, including at homes and outside of courts. Aggressive profiling and activity have also been reported in the Western Slope, including by a Routt County Commissioner who says she was “boxed in” by agents, though ICE denies the allegations. Upwards of 1,400 people are being held at a time in the Aurora ICE facility, and three more facilities like it are reportedly planned in Colorado.

An estimated 60,000 people are in ICE detention nationwide and facing deportation, according to a New York Times report, but ICE expects to increase its national detention capacity to 100,000, the Washington Post notes.

Colorado Hispanic groups have advised increased caution at events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, with Dia de Los Muertos festivities taking place through November 7.

“It is a profound injustice that a celebration of Hispanic heritage is being shadowed by anxiety and the threat of family separation,” says Orona, adding that CIRC’s advice “is not for community members to hide, but to go out informed, prepared and empowered.

“Ultimately, we believe our community should not have to live in fear of attending public celebrations,” Orona says. “The solution is not isolation, but preparation and solidarity. We encourage all attendees, including allies, to learn their rights and look out for one another.”