Bennet Joins Colorado Democrats to Demand Answers as ICE “Death Cards” Investigation Raises Oversight Concerns

Mar 11, 2026| Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined his Colorado Democratic colleagues - U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper and U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse, Diana DeGette, Brittany Pettersen, and Jason Crow - in requesting further information from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the investigation into reports that ace of spade "death cards" were left in cars belonging to individuals detained by ICE agents in Eagle County. The lawmakers requested a response before DHS Secretary Noem's last day at the agency, on March 31, 2026.

This letter follows a February request from the lawmakers demanding DHS launch an immediate independent investigation. DHS said the Office of Inspector General referred the case to the Office of Professional Responsibility, which then sent it to a field office to conduct the investigation. DHS failed to specify which field office is overseeing the investigation or to provide the requested Congressional briefing, raising serious concerns about transparency and possible conflicts of interest.

"We remain deeply concerned by the allegations that federal agents were falsely acting as local law enforcement and that the ace of spades, long known as the "death card", was used to intimidate Latino communities," the lawmakers wrote.

"While the investigation is ongoing, we request a formal, detailed briefing on ICE activities in Eagle County, to include information on the field office that is conducting the investigation." In addition, the lawmakers demanded, "… a report on findings of the investigation, and written confirmation of any disciplinary or corrective actions taken."

Historically, "death cards" have been used by white supremacist groups to intimidate people of color. These specific cards found in Colorado reportedly had the address and phone number of the Aurora ICE detention facility printed on them.

Bennet has consistently fought the Trump Administration's cruel and inhumane immigration policies. He recently took to the Senate floor to condemn Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) violence and lawlessness and to denounce the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Bennet has also continuously called on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Noem to resign. Bennet voted against recent budget bills to extend DHS funding because they failed to overhaul ICE or ensure they are subject to the same common-sense standards we expect of our local law enforcement officials. He also introduced six amendments to the FY26 DHS appropriations bill that would protect children and families, bar enforcement at sensitive locations, and prohibit officers from wearing masks while requiring visible identification. Additionally, Bennet is working on legislation to rein in DHS and ICE. Last month, Bennet conducted an oversight visit of the ICE-GEO detention facility in Aurora, Colorado, and called for increased oversight of such facilities as well as expanded transparency and accountability for ICE. He also demanded DHS Secretary Kristi Noem abandon the proposed plan to open a new ICE detention facility in Hudson.

In January, Bennet joined his colleagues in introducing the Providing Useful Budgets for Localities to Invest in Cops by Substituting Appropriations from Federal Enforcement To Yield Results (PUBLIC SAFETY) Act to redirect nearly $75 billion in funding passed in the Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) from ICE and send it instead to local law enforcement programs to help hire and train 200,000 local police officers in communities across the country. In February 2025, Bennet joined his Senate colleagues to introduce the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, which would reinstate DHS's long-standing policies to prevent ICE from making arrests at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and places of worship. In August 2025, he joined the Immigration Enforcement Identification Safety (IEIS) Act to prohibit immigration enforcement officials from wearing masks and to require them to wear visible identification. In November 2025, Bennet joined his colleagues in introducing the bicameral Restoring Access to Detainees Act to ensure DHS allows non-citizens who have been detained to contact their legal counsel and families.

The text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Secretary Noem:

We are writing to follow up on our February 2, 2026 letter regarding disturbing reports about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in Eagle County, Colorado. Reportedly, ICE agents in unmarked vehicles with attached sirens conducted imitation traffic stops and ultimately detained ten Latino individuals who are now being held at the Aurora Detention Facility. Additionally, according to multiple news reports and local community organizations, family members of the detained individuals found ace of spades cards inside multiple abandoned vehicles, printed with the address of the Aurora Detention Facility:

We remain deeply concerned by the allegations that federal agents were falsely acting as local law enforcement and that the ace of spades, long known as the "death card", was used to intimidate Latino communities. This behavior undermines public trust in law enforcement, raises civil rights concerns, and falls far short of the professional standards expected of federal agents. Additional death cards were reportedly also found in cars in other Colorado counties, heightening our concerns.

In our February 2 letter, we requested that DHS provide a formal, detailed briefing on ICE activities in Eagle County; a report on findings of the DHS investigation into the incident; an independent investigation by the DHS Office of the Inspector General into the activities of the Denver Field Office; and written confirmation of disciplinary or corrective actions taken. In response, DHS wrote that the DHS Office of the Inspector General referred the complaint to the Office of Professional Responsibility, who assigned the incident to a field office for investigation.

While the investigation is ongoing, we request a formal, detailed briefing on ICE activities in Eagle County, to include information on the field office that is conducting the investigation. We request immediate notification once the investigation is complete. At that time, we request a report on findings of the investigation, and written confirmation of any disciplinary or corrective actions taken.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We respectfully request a response by March 20.

###