Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said city law enforcement will not provide any assistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement during deportation raids expected to take place starting Sunday.
Several media outlets report President Trump confirmed the mass deportations will begin this weekend. According to a tweet Trump made in June, ICE will target those who 鈥渉ave already been ordered to be deported.鈥�
In a call with reporters Friday, Mayor Hancock said the raids are an effort by the administration to distract the American public, 鈥渨hether it鈥檚 an investigation around Russian interference or Mr. Mueller鈥檚 testimony before Congress.鈥�
But city officials will assist in the aftermath of the raids, Hancock said, especially in the event that a child鈥檚 parents are deported and they鈥檙e left on their own. Anyone who encounters this situation can call 311 for assistance.
鈥淲e鈥檒l do everything we can to make sure that we assist the children to be taken care of and safe and secure and hopefully to be placed with a secondary family member if at all possible,鈥� he said.
According to a report by the bipartisan research organization , Colorado is home to 171,529 individuals who lack documentation and pay a combined $415.7 million in state and federal taxes each year.
Other cities where raids are expected to take place include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Baltimore, Chicago and Atlanta. Greg Chen, with the American immigration Lawyers Association, said these 10 cities were also ordered by the Department of Justice in 2018 to begin expediting immigration hearings for families.
鈥淪o it appears that they have coordinated these targeted cities,鈥� he said.
The association believes the raids will target several thousand families who have received final orders for removal, as well as unaccompanied minors.
Editors Note: This story has been updated. The data from New American Economy represents the state of Colorado.
