(The Center Square) – As President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Monday, Colorado politicians were quick to react to the dozens of executive orders, memoranda, and declarations that Trump signed on his first day.
Two decisions specifically received the ire of Colorado Democrats. One of those was Trump’s pardon of some 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants, which U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-CO, said “erodes Americans’ faith in the rule of law.”
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, D-CO, has also been outspoken in pushing back on that decision.
“The rioters brutally beat police officers, threatened the lives of our nation’s leaders, and attempted to overturn an election,” Crow said. “They deserve prison, not a pardon.”
The other controversial decision was his executive order ending birthright citizenship.
Titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” the order targets the government’s interpretation under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. While this amendment has been interpreted to grant the right of citizenship to all those born on U.S. soil, Trump wants to narrow the understanding of it to no longer apply to children of illegal immigrants or those with a temporary immigration status.
“The Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States,” the order states. This new understanding would not apply to any current birthright citizens, but would go into effect on Feb. 19.
The Colorado Attorney General’s office called the order “unconstitutional” and has joined with a coalition of state attorney generals’ offices to challenge it.
The attempt to end birthright citizenship by executive order is flatly unconstitutional and undermines our nation’s commitment to inclusion,” said Phil Weiser, Colorado’s attorney general. “That’s why we are challenging it in court.”
The Colorado Democratic Party echoed concerns about Trump’s immigration policies, among other things.
“Colorado Democrats stand ready to fight back against mass deportations, inflationary economics, unqualified nominees, tax cuts for billionaires and corporations, and attacks on our fundamental freedoms,” the party said. “We face a daunting task ahead of us, but we are going to tackle it together.”
Democrat Gov. Jared Polis has not yet weighed in on the immigration issue, but did attend the inauguration on Monday as a part of a bipartisan group from the National Governors Association.
“The relationship between states and the federal government is critical to getting things done and delivering for Americans, and I look forward to making sure that the voice of the Governors is heard in Washington DC,” Polis said.
U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-CO, also struck a slightly more hopeful tone in an Inauguration Day statement.
“While this is far from what we wanted to see, I will still try to work with the new administration when possible,” she said.
Republicans from the state have supported the president’s decisions, with firebrand U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-CO, stating on Inauguration Day “the Golden Age of America begins NOW.”
