This story was first published at Colorado Newsline.
DENVER | Colorado congressional Democrats are calling for further investigation into the ace of spades playing cards left in the cars of people detained by federal immigration agents in Eagle County.
U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Reps. Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow and Brittany Pettersen wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Monday about the incident.
Last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 10 people in Eagle County during traffic stops. When family members went to get the cars left behind, they found in the vehicles the ace of spades cards printed with “ICE Denver Field Office” and the address of the privately-run immigration detention center in Aurora, according to advocacy group Voces Unidas de las Montañas.
Known as the “death card,” the ace of spades has been associated with psychological warfare, as U.S. soldiers left the card on the bodies of dead Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War.
“It is unacceptable and dangerous for federal law enforcement to use this symbol to intimidate Latino communities. This behavior undermines public trust in law enforcement, raises serious civil rights concerns, and falls far short of the professional standards expected of federal agents,” the letter reads.
The group of lawmakers is requesting, by Feb. 13, a briefing on ICE activity in Eagle County, a written report about an ongoing Homeland Security investigation, a separate investigation by the Homeland Security Office of Inspector General into the Denver Field Office, and confirmation of any corrective action.
In a statement to The Denver Post last month, a Homeland Security spokesperson condemned the playing cards and said the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility would investigate.
The agency did not immediately respond to a separate request for comment on Tuesday.
The letter from lawmakers also addresses the allegation that ICE agents were in unmarked vehicles with sirens during the arrests.
“This behavior leads individuals to believe they are lawfully required to pull over for a traffic violation when in reality, the federal government has no authority over local or state traffic regulations. Federal agents acting in disguise as local law enforcement is misconduct and should be treated as such,” they wrote.
The letter comes amid growing national backlash to the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, which in Minnesota last month involved the killing by immigration agents of two citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
I suspect that close to 0% of individuals are aware of the ace-of-spades being a “death card.” Reminds me of the woke left trying to say that making an “ok” sign with the hand is signaling White supremacy. They are always looking for something to become outraged over. Since overt racism is largely non-existent today, they created a new category called “micro-aggressions.” This is a vehicle by which a person of color can still feel insulted when no such insult exists.