Denver, CO (December 23, 2019) – Today, Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced clemency for eight people, including Ingrid Encalada Latorre. Latorre – a mother of two young boys, is currently in sanctuary at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, where she has been for more than two years. She is a leader of the sanctuary movement in Colorado, fighting so that she and others like her can keep their families together and stay in their chosen homes.
Latorre will announce the next steps in her case today at 4:00 pm MT at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder at 5001 Pennsylvania Ave, Boulder, CO 80303. Surrounded by communities of faith and her family and friends, she will speak about the pardon and what comes next.
“We are overjoyed that the Governor has done the right thing and given Ingrid the possibility of coming home for the holidays,” said Jordan Garcia, co-director of the American Friends Service Committee in Colorado. “Thank you so much to the thousands of people who have stood with Ingrid over these last several years who helped make this victory possible.”
Originally from Peru, Ingrid emigrated to the U.S. in 2000 to pursue a better education and to reunite with her citizen aunt. At a nursing home, she worked her way up from a dishwasher to a cook and started a family. In 2010, she was arrested at work for a charge of using false documents. Her then lawyer misadvised her of the immigration consequences of a plea bargain. Based on his advice she accepted the plea bargain, making relief from deportation nearly impossible.
She ultimately was able to argue the ineffectiveness or misadvisment of her council at subsequent hearing and has been awaiting a ruling by the judge in the second of those two claims. In the first claim, the court found that Miguel Velasco and Duane Montano had provided ineffective counsel to her. Since that time Ingrid has worked to educate the community about the risks and consequences of using false documents, and the impacts it can have on others.
In a statement released earlier today, Governor Polis writes: “Clemencies are a tremendous responsibility given to a governor that can change a person’s life. These decisions were not taken lightly and were made after careful consideration of each individual case. These are people looking for a second chance and the opportunity to move beyond the mistakes from their past. They have taken important steps to turn their lives around and shown remorse for their actions.”
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The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice, as a practical expression of faith in action. Drawing on continuing spiritual insights and working with people of many backgrounds, we nurture the seeds of change and respect for human life that transform social systems.