DENVER — Charges filed against four demonstrators arrested during a July protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Arapahoe County will be dismissed Friday, the 18th Judicial District announced Thursday. Yoselin Corrales, Arnie Carter, El Moss and Terry Burnsed were each charged with obstructing a passageway outside the Centennial ICE facility, at 12445 E. Caley ...

Protesters facing charges stemming from a July 20 protest outside the ICE field office in Centennial walk into the Arapahoe County Justice Center with supporters on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Centennial, Colorado.

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/TNS

DENVER — Charges filed against four demonstrators arrested during a July protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Arapahoe County will be dismissed Friday, the 18th Judicial District announced Thursday.

Yoselin Corrales, Arnie Carter, El Moss and Terry Burnsed were each charged with obstructing a passageway outside the Centennial ICE facility, at 12445 E. Caley Ave., according to court records. Corrales and Moss were also charged with obstructing a peace officer.

The group was arrested after ignoring orders from Arapahoe County sheriff's deputies to stop blocking a driveway during the protest at the ICE field office, according to a news release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office.

After further review, prosecutors decided the criminal cases should not move forward, the release stated.

"I believe strongly in the First Amendment and the right of people to peacefully assemble, speak out and protest," District Attorney Amy Padden said in a statement. "Those rights are fundamental to our democracy. The law is clear that criminal statutes cannot criminalize speech."

"However, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute and does not protect against prosecution for criminal conduct," Padden's statement continued.

Padden said dismissing the four cases is an "appropriate exercise of prosecutorial discretion" and "in the interest of justice."

The protesters were not violent, did not harm or threaten law enforcement and did not damage property or disrupt traffic, according to the release.

Andy McNulty, Carter's attorney, called the dismissal "a great move that really respects the First Amendment." He said he was happy to see Padden take the step and dismiss the charges.

"These are the sorts of charges that get weaponized by police officers against those who are lawfully protesting," McNulty said.

The group's arrest was a "tax" for having the "audacity to use their First Amendment rights," McNulty said. Although the charges will now be dismissed, the four protesters still had to hire attorneys and go to court before the legal process was cut short.

Dozens of community members showed up to support the four protesters during their arraignments at the Arapahoe County Justice Center on Sept. 9.

During a gathering outside before those hearings, McNulty said that obstructing passageways is a "classic crime" used to charge protesters. Like jaywalking, it is rarely prosecuted but often appears in cases against demonstrators, he said.

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