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AURORA, Colorado (KCNC) — Sunday morning, protestors once again gathered outside the GEO Group ICE detention facility in Aurora to protest the conditions in which detainees are being held, with Thursday’s shooting by a GEO Group employee fresh in their minds.
“To see it happen or to hear that it happened so close to home, it’s always a bit of a shock, but not unexpected,” said Emil Mondragon.
Mondragon was there with Aurora Unidos, one of the groups who organized the event. They said knowing that a protester was shot here slightly more than 48 hours ago did make them consider whether coming out was a good idea.
“I was a little bit nervous, but we need to be out here, and we need to be speaking about this,” said Mondragon.
The crowd was encouraged, however, by Emma Landis and Maeve, who are the two women reportedly shot at by GEO employee Brandon Booth on Thursday evening. The Aurora Police Department says the two women were involved in a verbal confrontation with employees who could not enter the facility due to a protest. Police say Booth used his pistol to fire a single shot in their direction as the women were walking away.
Landis was shot in the foot, and despite the pain she is in, she decided to come out to speak to demonstrators on Sunday.
“This put a pause on my life. And because somebody was hurt by the words that I was saying to him, that doesn’t give you the right to shoot somebody,” said Landis.
The women say that, while they appreciate the concern for their well-being, they don’t want to take attention away from the confirmed case of tuberculosis that was found in the facility and the well-being of the people being held there.
On Monday, the Adams County Health Department said it confirmed an active case of tuberculosis at the detention center, but has not received all of the information from the facility that it needs to complete its investigation. In a statement to CBS Colorado on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said there are no confirmed active cases of tuberculosis at the Aurora facility.
Maeve said the shooting on Thursday has brought even more attention to the detention center.
“Although this should have never happened, it has now brought so much attention to this GEO facility that has needed attention on it for far too long,” said Maeve.
Mondragon said they would understand if the women had chosen not to come back.
“It’s just a human response to not want to go back to where you got hurt, right? But they did anyway,” said Mondragon.
And they hope the duo’s courage will unite the community to join them in protesting.
“That is what’s going to help you humanize what’s going on today, in your community. And that’s what’s going to fuel the change that we need to see desperately,” said Mondragon.
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