AURORA | Regis University students and local activists say they’re planning a Día de los Muertos–themed vigil outside the Aurora ICE detention center to honor people who have died in immigration custody or while attempting to reach the United States.
The event, organized by the Denver university’s Center for Service Learning and Engaged Scholar Activists, aims to draw attention to what organizers say are record deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention this year.
The vigil is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the GEO ICE facility, 3130 Oakland St.
“As students, we want to use the limited power and resources we have available to support an initiative that deeply impacts many of us,” organizers said in a statement. “This semester’s theme, ‘Day of the Dead,’ is an homage to the Mexican holiday that brings families back together with their loved ones.”
The event will include an altar decorated with candles and photos to commemorate the traditional holiday, known in English as the Day of the Dead.
Organizers say the group will hear from families of detainees, community advocates, and faith leaders.
The vigil is part of more than 40 similar actions taking place nationwide, according to organizers. The American Friends Service Committee, SOMOS, and directly impacted community members are among the co-sponsors.
Advocates say at least 25 people have died in ICE custody nationally in the past nine months, including three by suicide, the highest number in a single year since 2006.
Activists cite poor medical care, isolation, and overcrowded conditions as factors that contribute to the deaths.
Aurora Democratic Congressperson Jason Crow has long lobbied in the House for legislation to improve the treatment of inmates and transparency into their care and condition.
Most recently, he was joined by other Colorado Democratic members of congress in demanding better congressional access for inspections.
Jordan Garcia, program director for the Colorado office of the American Friends Service Committee, said the vigil also calls for ending private immigration detention and redirecting federal funds toward social programs such as housing, healthcare, and education.
“The use of our taxpayer dollars to fund the U.S. war machine at home and abroad, including deadly border security funding, must stop now,” Garcia said in a statement. “Our communities are told there’s no money for healthcare or education, yet there seems to be endless resources for enforcement and detention.”
The Aurora facility, run by private contractor Florida-based GEO Group, has faced criticism in recent years from advocacy groups and the ACLU of Colorado, which has reported medical neglect and disease outbreaks inside the center.
Organizers say the vigil will serve as both a remembrance of lives lost and a demand for change. “We’re coming together to honor the dead,” one student organizer said, “and to fight for the living.”