Construction worker arrested by mistake, detained three months in Colorado
May 2025·Location: Grand Junction, CO

Refugio Ramirez Ovando, 43, was arrested in May 2025 while on his way to work at a construction concrete company in Grand Junction. ICE detained him for three months, and an agent later admitted the arrest was a mistake made in an effort to find someone else. The ACLU filed a lawsuit on his behalf challenging the arrest and detention.
Sources
- ACLU leads lawsuit against 'indiscriminate' ICE arrests in Colorado
KUNC·Oct 16, 2025·archived copy
- ACLU, Colorado law firms sue ICE to stop “indiscriminate” arrests and detentions
KUNC·Oct 13, 2025·archived copy
- ACLU sues Trump administration over ICE arrests in Colorado
- ACLU, Colorado law firms sue ICE to stop ‘indiscriminate’ arrests and detentions
durangoherald.com·Oct 10, 2025·archived copy
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