January 30, 2026
On October 28, 2025, the city of Durango witnessed a sequence of events that looked less like law enforcement and more like a paramilitary kidnapping. It began with ICE agents snatching two children—ages 12 and 15—and their father on their way to school.
When the community rose up in a peaceful vigil to protect these children, ICE responded with the classic hallmark of an abuser: extreme violence followed by immediate victim-blaming.
The “You Made Me Do This” Defense
As 57-year-old Franci Stagi recorded the unmarked vehicles outside the ICE field office, a masked agent lunged at her. After snatching her phone, he didn’t stop. He grabbed the 5’2” grandmother by the hair, locked her in a chokehold, and hurled her down a steep embankment.
But it was what happened next that revealed the agency’s true character. Even as Franci lay dazed at the bottom of the hill, the agent reportedly shouted, “She’s assaulting me!” This is the ultimate abuser logic:
The Kidnapping: ICE detains children with no criminal record, then denies local police entry to perform a welfare check.
The Escalation: Agents deploy pepper spray and rubber bullets against a crowd of neighbors and students.
The Gaslighting: A man in tactical gear, twice the size of his victim, claims he is the one under attack while his hands are still in a grandmother’s hair.
The Trauma of the Jaramillo Family
The “mistake” that ICE claims started this—a case of mistaken identity—has ended in a tragedy. After weeks in a Texas detention center, the father and his two children were forced into “voluntary deportation” back to Colombia.
They were given an impossible choice: stay in indefinite, traumatizing isolation, or return to a country they fled in fear. They left their mother behind in Durango, a family shattered by a “clerical error” and a masked agent’s temper.
“The Trump administration turned Fernando and his children’s dream into an American tragedy... Two innocent children will carry this trauma for the rest of their lives.” — Senator John Hickenlooper
“Evidence of the Assault: A masked agent, identified only as ‘Police,’ uses a chokehold on a 57-year-old woman before throwing her down a hill.”
Demand Accountability: Take Action Now
The federal government is still hiding the name of the masked agent who assaulted a 57-year-old grandmother. We cannot let them stay anonymous. Use the templates below to ensure the community’s demand for justice remains impossible to ignore.
1. Contact the Durango Herald
The Herald is the paper of record for this community. By submitting letters, we ensure this story stays on the front page and in the public consciousness.
Instructions: Copy and paste the text below into an email to letters@durangoherald.com.
(Note: The Herald has a 250-word limit. This template is optimized to fit.)
Subject: Letter to the Editor: Accountability for ICE Assault on Franci Stagi
To the Editor,
It has been months since a masked ICE agent was filmed putting a 57-year-old grandmother, Franci Stagi, in a chokehold and throwing her down a hill. While the community stood in a peaceful vigil for a family taken on their way to school, federal agents responded with the raw violence of an abuser.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the case, yet the agent’s name remains shielded. This “abuser logic”—where a man in tactical gear blames a small woman for “making him” assault her—is a stain on our city.
We deserve transparency. The 6th Judicial District Attorney must hold this unidentified agent accountable for assault and theft. Our community’s safety depends on knowing that a federal badge is not a license to terrorize grandmothers and children with impunity.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your City/County of Residence]
[Your Phone Number - Required for verification only]
2. Official Contact Directory
Direct engagement with these offices ensures they know the public is watching every step of the investigation. Make your voice heard via phone, fax, or email.
The 6th Judicial District Attorney (Prosecution)
DA Sean Murray
Phone: (970) 247-8850
Fax: (970) 259-0200
Message: Request that criminal charges for 3rd-degree assault and theft be filed against the unidentified agent involved in the October 28th assault.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (The Investigators)
CBI Denver Office
Phone: (303) 239-4211
Fax: (303) 239-5788
Email: cdps_cbi_denver@state.co.us
Message: Inquire about the status of the Durango investigation and advocate for the public release of the agent’s identity.
ICE Denver Field Office (The Agency)
Community Relations
Phone: (720) 873-2899
Fax: (303) 721-3003
Email: CommunityRelations.Denver@ice.dhs.gov
Message: Call for the immediate suspension of the agent involved in the Stagi assault and ask for a public explanation regarding the denial of the welfare check for the Jaramillo children.
Durango Police Department (Local Oversight)
Chief Brice Current
Phone: (970) 375-4700
Email: engage@durangoco.gov
Message: Support the Department’s efforts toward transparency and encourage continued pressure on federal agencies to uphold local community standards.
Key Sources & Evidence Links
[The Video of the Assault] (Colorado Sun): Hundreds protest outside ICE building in Durango after 2 children, father detained. This article contains the viral video of the masked agent throwing Franci Stagi to the ground.
[The CBI Investigation] (Durango Herald): CBI to investigate federal agent who slammed Durango protester to ground. Details how the Durango Police Chief requested the state probe into criminal law violations.
[Mistaken Identity Admission] (Denver Post/Durango Herald): ICE mistook Durango father for another person. Verification that a high-ranking ICE official admitted in court that Fernando Jaramillo-Solano was not the intended target.
[Hickenlooper’s Official Statement] (Senate.gov): Hickenlooper Statement on Durango Family’s Return to Colombia. The U.S. Senator’s direct condemnation of the “American tragedy” and the trauma inflicted on the children.
[The Trauma of the Family] (CBS Colorado): Durango family seeks return to Colombia. Report on why the family “stopped fighting” from inside detention to get the children out of jail.
