“I came here to talk about roosters,” said Becky Walker, a Mancos resident, who gave a bewildered look toward the two dozen attendees at Wednesday’s Mancos Board of Trustees meeting.
However, several Mancos residents used the audience‑participation period to speak not about roosters but to address and rebuke Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions across the nation. The mood shifted throughout the meeting as people alternated between lighthearted rooster complaints and solemn concerns about federal immigration enforcement.
“Kids are bringing up all the time how they're scared,” said Robin Wolthausen, a school social worker in Mancos.
Wolthausen said the fear comes from ICE activity, not roosters.
In January, The Durango Herald reported that ICE detained a person in Mancos, which sparked protests outside the ICE field office in Durango’s Bodo Industrial Park.
“This isn’t just a big city problem anymore. It happened in Mancos, Colorado,” said Mancos resident Angela Sayler at a Jan. 14 board meeting. She requested that the board pass a resolution opposing “unlawful and overreaching federal immigration enforcement” in Mancos.
“By doing it you can help make the people of color that live in this town feel comfortable, supported and seen,” Sayler said.
Those who spoke Wednesday said residents of color are fearful of ICE operations in Mancos. In September 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal immigration enforcement officers in Los Angeles could stop individuals based solely on factors like race, ethnicity or language.
Heather Alvarez, the town administrator, said Mancos’ requests to be notified of ICE operations within the town have not been honored. She added that town officials, including the marshal’s office, were not notified of the January detainment in Mancos.
“We've received no communication. They didn't contact our town. So we are operating on the same information that the public is operating on,” Alvarez said.
Mayor Cindy Simpson said she could not define the scope of ICE operations within the town limits. She called any estimation “hearsay.”
Since the January incident, typically sparse Board of Trustees meetings have drawn residents seeking a resolution or statement opposing federal immigration operations.
“What our room usually looks like is maybe one or two people that don't have television,” Simpson joked.
The Cookout, a Southwest Colorado advocacy organization, encouraged community members to attend Wednesday’s meeting to push for a resolution stating the town and marshal’s office would refuse to collaborate with ICE without a judicial order. The group also urged the town to provide information and legal support to staff, law enforcement and residents regarding ICE operations.
“While The Cookout is here to support this initiative, it's important to note that this message goes beyond our organization and into a broader network of concerned residents who won't stand for our neighbors living in fear while the Town remains silent,” the group wrote in a statement to The Journal. The statement called a news release drafted by the board and discussed during the Feb. 11 meeting “lukewarm” and “watered-down.”
“We want to be clear: Our role is not to create or contribute to an ‘us versus them’ dynamic, nor to position the Town as taking sides in matters involving outside entities, including the federal government,” read the introduction to the draft press release, which the board later abandoned.
Only two of more than a dozen community members who spoke Wednesday addressed the “roosters” item on the agenda. According to Alvarez, who drafted a ban for the board’s consideration, some residents have complained about the noise. The two who spoke said the cawing disrupts sleep and work.
The rest used their five minutes of speaking time to address concerns about federal immigration enforcement. Many read statements they said were from people too afraid to attend in person.
“I’m scared to live at home. I’m not OK. I feel unsafe. Will my family be ripped apart?” read Max Loving, a trustee set to be sworn in in April. He said the statements were gathered from Mancos youths.
“I just ask that you use your voices to help protect and support the youngest members of our town,” he said.
Despite growing attendance and calls for action, the board has yet to agree on a clear solution.
The board previously discussed a mask ban for the Mancos Marshal’s Office, a measure some state governments have also considered. However, members deemed it impractical for deputy safety and unlikely to significantly reduce fear.
“The town is limited. We have authority over our Marshal’s Office,” Simpson said on Feb. 11. “We don't have any authority over county, other municipalities, the state or federal agencies.”
With no path to concrete action, the board considered issuing a news release, statement or resolution. But trustees are nonpartisan and cautious about jeopardizing relationships with state and federal partners, especially because the town relies on several grants.
“We have to be very careful with whatever language we put out there,” said Trustee Daniel Hennek.
After the town hall meeting, trustees moved to a workshop to debate whether to approve a resolution or a statement of values. Board members questioned the difference and doubted either would have a practical impact.
“We can say almost the same thing whether it’s a resolution or a statement and ultimately that’s just words,” said Trustee David Peyton.
Simpson described a resolution as a formal expression of intent without legal force, typically used for temporary or administrative concerns.
Members reviewed several drafts and favored one outlining the town’s commitments to safety, fairness and dignity, community trust and support, legal compliance, local responsibility, clear communication and public education.
As the clock passed 8 p.m., the board tabled the decision until the March 11 meeting, continuing to debate phrasing while trying to balance community expectations with their nonpartisan stance.
Some community members who stayed for the workshop shifted in their seats. A few frowned.
Even as trustees continued debating how to address community concerns about ICE, one decision was straightforward. By the end of the night, the board unanimously agreed to ask the Planning and Zoning Commission to consider a rooster ban.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
