Colorado members of Congress call for further investigation into ICE 'death cards' left in arrested immigrants' cars

Lauren Penington, The Denver Post on Feb 3, 2026

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DENVER — Colorado lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are calling for further investigation and transparency from federal officials after immigration agents left “death cards” in the cars of arrested immigrants in Eagle County last month.

Voces Unidas, a Glenwood Springs-based immigrant-rights advocacy group, sounded the alarm in late January when several ICE-branded ace of spades playing cards were found in abandoned cars near Vail after federal agents arrested the occupants.

The cards, similar to the “death cards” left on corpses by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, were stamped with “ICE Denver field office” and the address and phone number for the immigration detention center in Aurora, Voces Unidas President and CEO Alex Sánchez told The Denver Post.

In a Jan. 29 speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper called the death cards “cruelty for the sake of cruelty.”

ICE agents in unmarked vehicles reportedly arrested 10 people during imitation traffic stops, who are now being detained at the Aurora immigration facility, and left the cards behind for their families to find, according to a letter five elected officials from Colorado sent Monday to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

“It is unacceptable and dangerous for federal law enforcement to use this symbol to intimidate Latino communities,” Hickenlooper, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, and Representatives Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow and Brittany Pettersen wrote in the joint letter. “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 five lawmakers said they were also “deeply concerned” by allegations that the federal agents were using sirens to falsely act as local law enforcement.

“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,” the letter stated. “Federal agents acting in disguise as local law enforcement is misconduct and should be treated as such.”

The group called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General to open an independent investigation into the Denver field office. They also requested a full briefing on the incidents in Eagle County and written confirmation of any disciplinary or corrective actions taken.

The ICE Office of Professional Responsibility is also conducting a “thorough investigation” into the incident, an unnamed homeland security spokesperson said last month. The Colorado lawmakers asked for a written report detailing the findings of that investigation.

“As the son of immigrants and the father of two young children, I am horrified by the abuses being committed by the Trump administration — from the streets of Minneapolis to right here in Eagle County,” Neguse said in a statement. “These outrageous, aggressive intimidation tactics are meant to stoke fear among our neighbors, and it is immoral and wrong. This administration must be held accountable, and we cannot allow this to continue unchecked.”

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