Podcast on Immigration Detention
RMIAN’s Executive Director, Mekela Goehring, and Director of Advocacy & Litigation, Laura Lunn, discuss immigration detention with RMIAN founding Board Member Hiroshi Motomura on his podcast “Unsettled: Immigration in Turbulent Times.” Have a listen to this insightful conversation on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox or Zolberg Podcasts.
RMIAN’s Executive Director, Mekela Goehring, and Director of Advocacy & Litigation, Laura Lunn, discuss immigration detention with RMIAN founding Board Member Hiroshi Motomura on his podcast “Unsettled: Immigration in Turbulent Times.” This episode looks at immigration detention in the second Trump administration. The administration has been greatly expanding detention facilities by buying warehouses to be converted into eight large-scale detention facilities, with the goal of having these facilities operational by the end of September of this year. The administration intends to use military procurement to speed up this transformation. Have a listen to this insightful conversation on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox or Zolberg Podcasts.
Save the Date! CBA-CLE on Habeas Petitions
Habeas Training by RMIAN and Colorado Bar Association
On April 28, 2026, RMIAN and the CBA-CLE are providing a half-day training on the nuts and bolts of representing clients in habeas petitions. A group of experts will walk you through the ins and outs of filing habeas petitions, answer burning questions, and offer robust materials that will ease the burden of learning how to file and present habeas petitions in the District Court for the District of Colorado with a litigation goal focused on securing clients’ freedom from detention. The event is free for anyone committing to take on a pro bono case in the next two years and the program has been submitted for four General CLE Credits.
Habeas Training by RMIAN and Colorado Bar Association
On April 28, 2026, RMIAN and the CBA-CLE are providing a half-day training on the nuts and bolts of representing clients in habeas petitions. A group of experts will walk you through the ins and outs of filing habeas petitions, answer burning questions, and offer robust materials that will ease the burden of learning how to file and present habeas petitions in the District Court for the District of Colorado with a litigation goal focused on securing clients’ freedom from detention. The event is free for anyone committing to take on a pro bono case in the next two years and the program has been submitted for four General CLE Credits. Click Here for more info.
How Denver Is Preparing for a Possible ICE Surge
The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network has a “robust attorney-referral program,” according to Laura Lunn, its advocacy and litigation director. “Knowing the rules is absolutely the best tool we have at our disposal,” she says.
The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network has a “robust attorney-referral program,” according to Laura Lunn, its advocacy and litigation director. “Knowing the rules is absolutely the best tool we have at our disposal,” she says.
24 Colorado organizations demand justice for Delvin Francisco Rodriguez
RMIAN and 23 other Colorado organizations sent a letter to the members of our Congressional delegation demanding an investigation into and accountability for the death of Delvin Francisco Rodriguez , a Colorado resident from Summit County, who died in ICE detention after being transferred to an ICE detention center in Mississippi.
In Denver courtroom, Trump administration pushes to send asylum seekers to third countries
Immigration attorneys say use of 'pretermission' raises due process concerns for people seeking asylum
Monique Sherman said: “If somebody has never been to a country, they really deserve some time to learn about that country and figure out if they think they would be safe there and to be able to come up with those arguments,” Sherman said. “This is concerning in all cases, but when somebody has an attorney, we’re able to at least give them a fighting chance, and we have won several oppositions to these motions.
“But most people don’t have lawyers,” she said. “We meet with as many of those people as we can to advise them of their rights, and we’ve met with several who were just blindsided by this.”
Immigration attorneys say use of 'pretermission' raises due process concerns for people seeking asylum
Sherman, with the Immigrant Advocacy Network, said the pretermission process raises significant due process concerns.
“If somebody has never been to a country, they really deserve some time to learn about that country and figure out if they think they would be safe there and to be able to come up with those arguments,” Sherman said. “This is concerning in all cases, but when somebody has an attorney, we’re able to at least give them a fighting chance, and we have won several oppositions to these motions.
“But most people don’t have lawyers,” she said. “We meet with as many of those people as we can to advise them of their rights, and we’ve met with several who were just blindsided by this.”
Amid ICE protests and nationwide strike, businesses donate to Colorado immigrant rights groups
“Our lawyers and our social workers are on the front lines every day, fighting for justice, ensuring that kids are not forced to represent themselves in immigration court,” said Mekela Goehring, executive director at RMIAN.
Goehring says while donations from small businesses were not finalized by Friday night, the organization received more than $18,000 from more than 100 new community donors on Friday alone.
“This has been a powerful day and just an amazing showing of support at a time in which things have felt certainly quite dark,” Goehring said. “Proud to be a Coloradan today.”
“Our lawyers and our social workers are on the front lines every day, fighting for justice, ensuring that kids are not forced to represent themselves in immigration court,” said Mekela Goehring, executive director at RMIAN.
Goehring says while donations from small businesses were not finalized by Friday night, the organization received more than $18,000 from more than 100 new community donors on Friday alone.
“This has been a powerful day and just an amazing showing of support at a time in which things have felt certainly quite dark,” Goehring said. “Proud to be a Coloradan today.”
RMIAN outraged by violent attacks on our communities—No funds for ICE and Border Patrol
RMIAN joined 1,025 organizations in expressing our horror, outrage and deep grief about the continued violent attacks on our immigrant communities and communities of color, as well as their many allies and supporters. We signed on to a letter to Congress demanding “an immediate halt in all funding for these deadly operations until the violence, abuses, and deaths in American communities and in immigration detention centers stop. Congress must refuse to provide one dollar to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol through the appropriations process and immediately take action to revoke the tens of billions already given through last summer’s reconciliation bill.”
RMIAN joined 1,025 organizations in expressing our horror, outrage and deep grief about the continued violent attacks on our immigrant communities and communities of color, as well as their many allies and supporters. “We demand an immediate halt in all funding for these deadly operations until the violence, abuses, and deaths in American communities and in immigration detention centers stop. Congress must refuse to provide one dollar to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol through the appropriations process and immediately take action to revoke the tens of billions already given through last summer’s reconciliation bill.”
New American Immigration Council Report on Immigration Detention Expansion
This report aims to document the historic expansion of detention under the Trump administration. It details not only the policy changes which have led to ICE detention reaching the highest level on record, but also their impact on the individuals who have found themselves locked into it. The growth in immigration detention, and the spectacle which has accompanied the construction and use of new facilities — coupled with the near-elimination of any transparency into the operation and use of those facilities — is the backbone of President Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
As this report reveals, rather than focusing on serious public safety threats and flight risks, the Trump administration is primarily using detention to pressure people into giving up their chance to remain in the United States.
When President Trump took office in January 2025, there were roughly 40,000 people being held in immigration detention. By the start of December, that number had risen by almost 75 percent, with nearly 66,000 people held in immigration detention across the United States and the system reportedly capable of holding 70,000 people on any given day — the highest level in history.
This report aims to document the historic expansion of detention under the Trump administration. It details not only the policy changes which have led to ICE detention reaching the highest level on record, but also their impact on the individuals who have found themselves locked into it. The growth in immigration detention, and the spectacle which has accompanied the construction and use of new facilities — coupled with the near-elimination of any transparency into the operation and use of those facilities — is the backbone of President Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
As this report reveals, rather than focusing on serious public safety threats and flight risks, the Trump administration is primarily using detention to pressure people into giving up their chance to remain in the United States.
RMIAN signs on to Coalition Letter Urging Congress to Refuse Increased Funding for ICE
RMIAN joined more than 400 other civil rights and human rights organizations to call on Congress to rein in the escalating violence and lawlessness endangering our communities.
What data shows about ICE arrests in Colorado in 2025
Arrest rates through mid-October increased fourfold over 2024
Monique Sherman, the Detention Program Managing Attorney at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, said that the data matches her expectations, and that a much larger share of detained people she saw this year were apprehended internally — at work, home or during a traffic stop — rather than at the border.
Arrest rates through mid-October increased fourfold over 2024
Monique Sherman, the Detention Program Managing Attorney at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, said that the data matches her expectations, and that a much larger share of detained people she saw this year were apprehended internally — at work, home or during a traffic stop — rather than at the border.
Immigrant Rights and Community Activist Jeanette Vizguerra-Ramirez Released from ICE Detention
On Monday afternoon, December 22nd, Jeannette Vizguerra-Ramirez walked out of the Aurora Immigration Detention Center into the loving arms of her family, after nine long months inside the facility.
Laura Lunn, RMIAN Director of Advocacy & Littigation, celebrated her release, saying “For decades, Jeanette has advocated for her community. When she was detained earlier this year, she needed her community to step up for her - and that is exactly what they did, showing up at vigils each week to remind her and others detained that they are not forgotten. RMIAN is honored to be a part of the team supporting Jeanette, the larger immigrant rights movement, and engaging in necessary legal battles to ensure that people can speak out without facing unlawful restrictions on their liberty and impermissible limits on their freedom of speech.”
On Monday afternoon, December 22nd, Jeannette Vizguerra-Ramirez walked out of the for profit GEO Immigration Detention Center into the loving arms of her family. After nine long months inside the facility, which has suffered extensive criticism for its lack of adequate health care and substandard food lacking nutrition, both of which Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez decried.
On Sunday, an Immigration Judge, in a written decision, ordered the release of the immigrant rights activist on bond after finding that the Department of Homeland Security failed to justify her continued detention at a hearing. Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez’s family posted the bond with support from the esteemed Immigrant Freedom Fund ensuring her release as soon as possible.
Laura Lunn, RMIAN Director of Advocacy & Litigation, celebrated her release, saying “For decades, Jeanette has advocated for her community. When she was detained earlier this year, she needed her community to step up for her - and that is exactly what they did, showing up at vigils each week to remind her and others detained that they are not forgotten. RMIAN is honored to be a part of the team supporting Jeanette, the larger immigrant rights movement, and engaging in necessary legal battles to ensure that people can speak out without facing unlawful restrictions on their liberty and impermissible limits on their freedom of speech.”
Read the full press release from American Friends Service Committee here.
Law360: Biggest Colorado Cases Of 2025
In 2025, a year marked by what some lawyers describe as attacks on the rule of law, a Colorado federal judge preliminarily blocked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from conducting warrantless arrests in the state without determining probable cause.
Laura Lunn, director of advocacy and litigation at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, said that in a year when people across Colorado have been "terrorized" by mass enforcement actions and "brutal" arrests, the ruling made clear that ICE cannot conduct warrantless arrests without showing good reason.
Judge Halts Warrantless ICE Arrests
Laura Lunn, director of advocacy and litigation at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, said that in a year when people across Colorado have been "terrorized" by mass enforcement actions and "brutal" arrests, the ruling made clear that ICE cannot conduct warrantless arrests without showing good reason.
"Having this type of very clear mandate saying that [ICE] cannot just pick people up kind of willy-nilly, which is what we have been seeing, and instead there has to be clear procedure followed that really goes into what constitutional rights people have in this country is a really critical form of protection for people," Lunn said.
Kids left without representation in Colorado immigration court after federal funding cuts
Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network loses $1 million in federal funding cuts
“There have been major increases in immigration enforcement and detention, loss of vital legal protections, increases in fear and attacks on the immigrant community, exponential increases on removals, unlawful removals and, on top of all of that, RMIAN has seen deep losses in funding to all of our work,” Goehring said. “You’re starting with a deeply unjust and unfair process where there isn’t a whole lot of due process, and what we’ve seen is that all those hardships have been compounded because of a series of both policy and legal decisions the federal government has made.”
RMIAN in The New Yorker
Enemies of the State
How the Trump Administration declared war on Venezuelan migrants in the U.S.
By Jonathan Blitzer
Enemies of the State
How the Trump Administration declared war on Venezuelan migrants in the U.S.
By Jonathan Blitzer
Support RMIAN on Colorado Gives Day!
For 25 years, RMIAN has stood alongside immigrants and their families in Colorado—defending due process, protecting human rights, and ensuring that all people have access to justice. Because of supporters like you, RMIAN has provided free legal representation and social service support to tens of thousands of people over the past 25 years. Please donate today to ensure this impact continues! Your generosity ensures that no one faces this system alone—that loved ones have someone to represent them and to protect their rights.
For 25 years, RMIAN has stood alongside immigrants and their families in Colorado—defending due process, protecting human rights, and ensuring that all people have access to justice. Because of supporters like you, RMIAN has provided free legal representation and social service support to tens of thousands of people over the past 25 years. Please donate today to ensure this impact continues! Your generosity ensures that no one faces this system alone—that loved ones have someone to represent them and to protect their rights.
RMIAN 25th Anniversary Celebration & Volunteer Appreciation!
This year, RMIAN proudly celebrates 25 years of providing life-changing legal representation and advocacy for immigrants in Colorado. Join us on December 3rd to commemorate this milestone and to show appreciation for our volunteers and supporters that helped make it possible!
Every day, RMIAN fights for justice and stands alongside individuals who face unimaginable odds: children alone in immigration court, parents separated from their families, and individuals detained without access to legal counsel. Over the past 25 years, RMIAN has provided free legal representation and advocacy to tens of thousands of people in immigration proceedings in Colorado, working alongside our clients and partners to fight for justice. Join us to celebrate this incredible milestone, and to honor the volunteers and supporters who have made this work possible!
RMIAN 25th Anniversary Celebration & Volunteer Appreciation
Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Program begins at 6pm and will include inspiring client stories, and reflections from Hiroshi Motomura, RMIAN Founding Board Member, UCLA Professor of Law, and author of recently published Borders and Belonging: Toward a Fair Immigration Policy.
Schoolyard Beer Garden, Auditorium Event Space
1115 Acoma St
Denver, CO 80204
RSVPs are required to attend this event. Space is limited--please RSVP here today! Please note: this will not be a plated dinner. Guests will enjoy street tacos and drinks. The event space is on the 2nd floor—there is an elevator available for accessibility.
A very special THANK YOU to our incredible event sponsors for making this celebration possible!
The Colorado Health Foundation
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
Colorado Lawyers Trust Account Foundation (COLTAF)
Cooley LLP
Jerry Glick, Columbia Group LLLP
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Palmer Polaski PC
Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC
If you are interested in being an event sponsor, please reach out to RMIAN's Director of Development & Communications, Jodi Vongsakoun at development@rmian.org.
Join us for the CBA CLE Immigration Law Training!
This Friday, November 14th - Please join the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network and the Colorado Bar Association Continuing Legal Education for our annual Immigration Law CLE training! CLE Credits: General Credits - 5.00
This training is only $75 for attorneys who agree to take a pro bono case through RMIAN.
Please join the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network and CBA-CLE for our annual Immigration Law CLE training on November 14, 2025! This event will include a substantive review of the requirements for cancellation of removal followed by interactive trial advocacy sessions that are sure to improve your litigation skills (and confidence) in immigration court. Attorneys who agree to take a pro bono case through RMIAN attend for only $75! CLE Credits: General Credits - 5.00
The need for legal representation in immigration proceedings is greater than ever. Build your skills for defending and advancing the rights of non-citizens during this half-day training offered both in-person and virtually. This training is great for immigration and non-immigration attorneys who have one or fewer years of immigration law experience, and for attorneys who have experience in one area of immigration law and are interested in learning about a new case type.
This year, we will start by reviewing requirements for cancellation of removal, a relief option for some long-term members of our communities and survivors of domestic violence. This substantive training will be followed by a two-hour interactive trial advocacy session focusing on conducting direct examination and responding to objections.
Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. There will also be opportunities to sign up for a case that day, if you are inspired and ready to get started!
Colorado Politics: Federal judge orders release hearing for torture victim in 'abhorrent' immigration custody
A federal judge on Friday found a "real risk" that the government would try to unlawfully deport a man who was tortured in his home country, and ordered a hearing to determine if he should be released from immigration custody while his case proceeds.
Per his attorney, RMIAN’s Laura Lunn: “Mr. Maldonado's case is emblematic of everything that's wrong with the immigration system. He survived past torture in El Salvador and Costa Rica and the Department of Homeland Security locked him up without a key," she said. "Today he can breathe a little easier, and I hope that very soon, he will regain his liberty, reunite with his family, and finally live a protected life here in the United States."
Read full article here.
MSN: U.S. citizens, asylum seekers and more: The real people affected by Trump's latest immigration raids
With workplace raids and “roving patrols,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has dramatically ramped up its efforts to apprehend and deport undocumented immigrants in recent weeks throughout major U.S. cities.
“We are setting people up,” RMIAN’s Emily Brock said of the government’s new strategy. “We’re giving people a set of rules they’re told to follow, and then halfway through the game, we’re changing the rules with no notice. And it includes a loss of liberty. … That is an intentional incitement of fear in the community, and it is not what I believe this country stands for.” Full article here.
Image: Damian Dovarganes/AP
Mother Jones: Trump Disappeared Them to El Salvador. Now, They’re Being Erased by Immigration Courts.
On May 30, Frizgeralth de Jesús Cornejo Pulgar was scheduled for a hearing in a United States immigration court. But Cornejo Pulgar—an asylum seeker from Venezuela fleeing potential persecution from paramilitary groups aligned with the government of Nicolás Maduro—was not able to attend the proceeding. The 26-year-old is stuck in El Salvador. He is one of some 230 Venezuelans the Trump administration disappeared, without due process, to the Central American country’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). More here.