Mission Statement and Project Description 

 
I set out to understand various organisations in town working with the local immigrant community, trying to 
gather as many point of views as I can to better understand how Durango experiences immigration. These 
groups were involved in anything from in activism and political influence, to providing trainings and services 
as getting driver’s licenses and filing taxes, to immigration law, and local law enforcement. The people I 
interviewed gave me a clearer picture of what the situation currently looks like in Durango across a variety of 
areas that affect the immigrant community, including what services are provided for immigrants, how 
accessible they are, and where support is still needed. My goal in this process was to understand and 
communicate the magnitude of immigration-related issues in our community to inspire Durango citizens to 
learn about the issue and get involved in ways they might not have considered. 
 
One of my motivations for choosing to look at immigration this semester was revolusion at how immigrants, 
particularly from Latin and South America, are treated in this country. I am deeply passionate about issues 
facing refugees and immigrants, especially the stigma and discrimination they face. Over the course of this 
project, it became more clear to me that the issues facing refugees and immigrants, particularly the 
undocumented, are on the rise right here in Durango. Often times we like to think that Durango exists in a 
bubble apart from larger national conflict, but this is not the case for issues around the topic of immigration.  
 
Many in our community cite the 2016 election as a turning point for local ICE activity. Under Obama, there 
were certain people ICE prioritised deporting: people who have committed crimes, been deported before, 
engaged in drug trafficking, or domestic violence. Obama deported a lot of people, but the Trump 
administration got rid of the enforcement priorities which has lead to the increase in deportations. 
 
The local ICE office has been responsible for many workplace raids, and stakeouts of schools. 
According to Sean Hein, a counsellor at Big Picture High School, “I have students who come to school in 
fear, and these aren’t marginal students - they’re leaders of the school.” ICE has staked out the local 
courthouse on days when Hispanic names were on the docket, and monitored low-income areas where many 
of the Hispanic members of the community live, which is blatant racial profiling. One of the ways I learned 
about this issue was going to the weekly protests outside the ICE office, where I learned that more and more 
people are being put into deportation proceedings as well. 
 
Durango citizens need to understand that the issues facing immigrants in our community are significant, and 
affect everyone. At Big Picture, “we had a student deported earlier this year, and it sent a wave through the 
school.” Durango is not a sanctuary city, because according to the former mayor Christina Rinderle “as a 
small community on the Western Slope, we do rely on a lot of federal funding for our transportation, for our 
public transit, we get grant funding for our trails through state programs.” However, “all the industry here, 
like all the restaurants, all the hospitality, all of the tourism that we have as a result of the mountains nearby, 
as a result of that coal-burning train we have, it all really depends on migrant workers,” notes Matt Karkut, 
the director of the Compañeros Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center.  
 
“99% of the immigrants in our community are really just doing the best they can to be productive members 
of our community, to work hard, to learn the language, to do the right thing, they’re mostly just trying really 
hard to be a part of our community,” says Sarah Brown, an ESL teacher at the Durango Adult Education 
Center. Durango is an incredibly inclusive city. It is in our charter that Durango is “no place for hate,” with a 
Police Department and Sheriff Department that do not communicate with ICE, where there are resources for 
immigrants. However, the issues facing the immigrant population need to be brought to attention, and 
explored further than I’ve been able to do these past few weeks. Not only are there gaps in what resources are 
available, there is also the issue of accessibility. The citizens of Durango need to embody the inclusive and 
compassionate values of our town, and take action to support the local immigrant community like they would 
take action for other local issues of climate change and homelessness. The immigrants of Durango are 
citizens of Durango, each truly integral members of our society.