(The Center Square) – A proposed ballot measure would require law enforcement in Colorado to cooperate with federal immigration detainer requests.
The measure, filed by the conservative advocacy group Advance Colorado, is in response to Colorado’s so-called “Sanctuary State” status protecting illegal immigrants.
“State and local law enforcement must cooperate with federal requests to notify the Department of Homeland Security prior to release and detain inmates if: (A) the inmate is charged with a crime of violence as defined by C.R.S,; or (B) the inmate has been convicted of a prior felony,” the measure reads.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis recently told KRDO that Colorado isn’t a sanctuary state.
“This narrative is false, that Colorado’s [in] any way, shape or form a sanctuary state. We are not,” he said.
Advance Colorado called the governor’s comments “inaccurate” in a news release on Tuesday, citing three bills he signed into law. One of the bills, House Bill 19-1124, prohibits local law enforcement from detaining individuals based solely on civil immigration detainer requests from federal agencies and requires a federal warrant.
Advance Colorado President Michael Fields said he hopes lawmakers will pass a similar law to the ballot measure “so that Colorado statute mandates cooperation with federal authorities to detain and deport violent criminals and repeat felons who endanger our communities and families.”
“It shouldn’t be optional to take criminals who are here illegally out of our state; it should be mandatory,” he added.
Colorado has become known as a hotspot for Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan gang found operating in several states across the country.
The Drug Enforcement Agency over the weekend busted a party in Adams County connected to TdA, apprehending 49 individuals and seizing drugs, weapons and cash. Last month, suspected TdA members were arrested for alleged home invasion and kidnapping at a notorious apartment complex where the gang has been active.
Republicans in the U.S. House have requested Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and other mayors of sanctuary cities to testify about their policies.