Two illegal aliens busted out of a Colorado detention center on Tuesday, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The escape was reportedly the result of a power outage at the facility that caused the back doors to unlock.
Joel Jose Gonzalez-Gonzalez, 32, and Geilond Vido-Romero, 24, reportedly fled from the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora sometime after 2 p.m. on Tuesday — the last facility-wide headcount at which they were confirmed present.
‘If they were being held on criminal detainers, we would be able to get involved and start a fugitive roundup.’
Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky told KDVR that the ICE detention center experienced a power outage at about 9:30 p.m., causing a door leading out to the soccer facility to unlock.
When ICE agents conducted an emergency count at midnight, they soon realized that Gonzalez-Gonzalez and Vido-Romero had apparently broken out.
ICE released a statement about the incident, claiming that local authorities had refused to help the federal agency with its ongoing manhunt.
“Two detainees escaped March 18 from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Denver Contract Detention Facility, in Aurora, Colorado. Local authorities were notified immediately and declined to assist with the search. ICE also notified additional state and federal law enforcement partners,” an ICE spokesperson said.///
The agency stated that Gonzalez-Gonzalez entered the U.S. in February 2013 through the El Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso, Texas, but he violated his admission conditions. ICE issued a detainer request after his detention in Adams County Jail in Brighton on local charges. On February 12, ICE arrested Gonzalez-Gonzalez and held him at the Aurora detention facility pending immigration proceedings.
Vido-Romero reportedly entered the U.S. near El Paso, Texas, in December 2023. ICE issued a detainer after his detention in Douglas County Jail in Castle Rock on local charges. An immigration judge previously ordered his return to Venezuela. ICE held him at the detention center pending his deportation.
According to the Aurora Police Department, it was not notified until roughly 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday about the men’s escape.
“We received late notification about the incident, and upon response, learned the event occurred several hours prior,” the department told KDVR. “The Aurora Police Department is available to assist our federal partners with active public safety emergencies. As a municipal law enforcement agency, we do not enforce federal immigration law and cannot participate in large-scale searches or follow-ups.”
Aurora Police Public Information Officer Joe Moylan told Fox News Digital that Aurora police are willing to “assist with the apprehension” if the escapees are still in the city.
“This was a cold event from the time we were notified about it,” Moylan stated. “We are working with our federal partners to determine if the escapees have any connection to the city of Aurora. When the time comes that warrants are active and information is confirmed that these men are in Aurora, we will assist with the apprehension.”
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation stated that they were not notified about the escaped detainees. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said that it did not receive a request to assist ICE.
The Colorado governor’s office told KDVR, “The State was asked to issue a ‘be on the lookout’ (BOLO) notice to law enforcement and sent out the standard notice. ICE has not asked for any additional assistance from the State. We continue to urge ICE to be transparent with the State and the public about this incident as it develops including whether any escapees are a danger to the public.”
Jurinsky told the news outlet that she took “great offense” to ICE’s claims that Aurora officials refused to help with the manhunt.
“To the people of Aurora, there is a state law here that supersedes the jurisdiction of the Aurora Police Department, ICE knows that,” Jurinsky stated. “It’s not a fair statement to say that we refused to get involved. This is completely on ICE.”
“We’ve taken great pride in the strides that we have made to getting back to fighting crime in this city, and that starts with the police chief that we hired, Todd Chamberlain,” she added.
Jurinsky noted that ICE has not made it clear whether the two illegal aliens are being held on civil or criminal detainers.
“From what I understand, they are not being held on criminal detainers,” she said. “If they were being held on criminal detainers, we would be able to get involved and start a fugitive roundup.”
Blaze News contacted ICE for a response to Jurinsky’s and local authorities’ claims; however, the agency did not reply to any specific questions, providing only the same previously issued statement.
“The aliens are still at large and the search is ongoing,” ICE stated.
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News, Immigration crisis, Immigration, Illegal immigration, Illegal immigration crisis, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Colorado, Aurora colorado, Aurora, Danielle jurinsky, Denver, Crime, Politics
