Colorado lawmakers are calling for an independent investigation into the recent death of a Nicaraguan national who was being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Aurora
In a letter to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Democratic Senators Michael Bennet, John Hickenlooper and Democratic Congressman Jason Crow are seeking an investigation into the death of Melvin Ariel Calero-Mendoza, 39, at the Aurora GEO Group facility, a privately-owned ICE detention center.
The ICE detainee died on Oct. 13. In a news release published by ICE the next day, they said an autopsy is pending to determine the official cause of death. However, those results have yet to be released. Bennet, Hickenlooper and Crow said their call for an investigation was prompted by the facility’s history, which they call negative and resulted in additional Congressional oversight.