Denver’s top immigration enforcement official, Robert Guadian, has been reassigned to Virginia, effective earlier this week. This change comes amidst significant turmoil within the ranks of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, which has been under scrutiny for its practices regarding the arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants. Guadian confirmed his reassignment during a remote testimony in federal court on Thursday, where he addressed a lawsuit alleging illegal arrests by ICE in Colorado.
Guadian, who has led the Denver field office since just before Donald Trump took office, stated that his new role would be at the ICE field office in Virginia, which also oversees operations in Washington, D.C. His reassignment occurred on October 1, 2023, though he did not provide a specific reason for the move. He is among a dozen ICE field directors who have recently been reshuffled by the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The ongoing changes at ICE include the potential integration of Border Patrol officials into ICE, a move that may reflect a shift in enforcement tactics at a time when the Border Patrol has faced criticism for heavy-handed approaches to immigration enforcement nationwide.
As Guadian testified, he defended ICE’s controversial tactics in Colorado, where a coalition of law firms, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, filed a lawsuit in October 2023. This lawsuit alleges that ICE has increasingly conducted warrantless arrests without probable cause. The plaintiffs argue that these practices are part of a larger initiative to escalate deportations, which have surged in recent months.
During the court proceedings, the law firms sought a ruling that would deem ICE’s methods unlawful and require the agency to prove that individuals pose a flight risk before detaining them indefinitely. Four former detainees spoke out in court, detailing how their arrests disrupted their lives. One notable testimony came from Refugio Ramirez Ovando, a father from Grand Junction who has lived in the U.S. for 20 years. He described the emotional toll his detention took on his family, particularly on his four children, who experienced mental health issues as a result of the stress surrounding his arrest.
Ramirez was apprehended while on his way to work in May 2023. Although ICE agents indicated he was not the target of their search, he was still taken to the detention center in Aurora. “I’m the only breadwinner,” he testified through an interpreter, explaining that his family had to sell their truck and deplete their savings due to his detention.
During his testimony, Guadian acknowledged the occurrence of warrantless arrests but insisted that they remain legally justified and are less frequent than targeted arrests of individuals with criminal backgrounds. He emphasized that ICE focuses on apprehending “the worst of the worst” and claimed that the agency knows who its targets are.
Data previously analyzed by The Denver Post indicates that a significant number of immigrants arrested by ICE have not been convicted of any crime. Furthermore, the proportion of arrestees with prior or pending criminal convictions has decreased under the current administration’s immigration policies. Internal ICE data also reveals that approximately 70% of detainees at the Aurora facility are classified as “non-criminal.”
Guadian’s reassignment and the ongoing legal challenges facing ICE highlight the contentious nature of immigration enforcement in the United States, particularly as the agency faces increasing scrutiny over its conduct in Colorado and beyond. The situation continues to evolve, with implications for both federal policy and the lives of those affected by immigration enforcement actions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. For more updates on this story and other Colorado news, consider signing up for our daily newsletter.
