Colorado already has to protect the rights of immigrants. But as President Donald Trump takes unprecedented steps to carry out his campaign promise of mass deportations, Democratic state lawmakers believe those protections might no longer be enough.
In response, they鈥檝e introduced , Senate Bill 25-276, that expands and hones numerous existing policies in direct response to the White House鈥檚 crackdown. But state Republicans say their colleagues are overstepping into federal territory and risk straining state resources further.
and KUNC鈥檚 Lucas Brady Woods dig into what the proposal would do and what it means to potentially pass something like this in the midst of strong sentiments among voters and politicians, both for and against immigrant protections. For a broader sense of how immigration enforcement, and the laws around it, is playing out on the ground, joins the conversation to share what she鈥檚 learned from reporting on Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and arrests.
Federal enforcement and state protections
Days before the February and Denver, people packed a 鈥榢now your rights鈥� training hosted by an organization called the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Speakers rallied the crowd and reminded them they have the right to remain silent if asked to identify themselves and have to open their doors to immigration officials only if they show a warrant.
The raids that followed were the most dramatic episode so far in the state鈥檚 fight over immigration. But stepped-up enforcement has continued and .
Polling shows that a significant number of Coloradans 鈥� regardless of race or ethnicity 鈥� are . President Donald Trump has played to that ambivalence and pointed to Colorado to justify his anti-migrant policies, frequently characterizing it as a 鈥渟anctuary state.鈥�
鈥淭hey come from the dungeons ... of the Third World, from prisons and jails, insane asylums and mental institutions ... to prey upon innocent American citizens,鈥� Trump said during a campaign rally in Aurora last year.
That same poll shows a little over half of Colorado voters believe Trump has gone too far on immigration since he returned to office in January. But about one in five say he hasn鈥檛 gone far enough.
Colorado law already seeks to circumscribe how closely public officials can work with immigration authorities, but Democrats in the General Assembly have been working through this year鈥檚 legislative session to strengthen protections for migrants. The bill pending in the legislature would extend a law barring state officials from sharing information with ICE, so that it would also apply to cities and counties, school systems, public health clinics and public daycares. The bill would also clarify that jails cannot let ICE agents into nonpublic areas, a move that could make it harder for detainees to have their custody transferred between local law enforcement and immigration authorities.
This issue in particular became a flashpoint in held by House Republicans to grill a panel of Democratic mayors. Denver鈥檚 Mike Johnston was asked repeatedly about Abraham Gonzalez, a Venezuelan national who attacked ICE officers after being released into the Denver jail鈥檚 parking lot, following the city鈥檚 policy of not allowing ICE to pick people up inside the building.
ICE says not having access to courts and jails means they will make more arrests in the community. That could lead to collateral arrests, when family members or others are brought in as well. And recent cases indicate the agency has become more aggressive. It has begun detaining people with some sort of legal status, including asylum seekers and those with work authorization, and canceling student visas. Enforcement is happening everywhere in Colorado, from apartment buildings to workplaces and parking lots.
鈥淲e ... drafted a lot of this policy in response to the actual tactics that we have seen being utilized by ICE now under the second Trump administration,鈥� said state Sen. Julie Gonzales, one of the bill鈥檚 sponsors.
Democrats say they are undeterred by the prospect of their bill making the state a target of the White House.
But Republicans in the state legislature argue that it鈥檚 a mistake for Colorado to pursue the measure. Not only could it stoke the ire of the Trump administration, they argue; the bill may also impede law enforcement and prove costly to the state.
鈥淲e鈥檙e intruding into this domain that is not ours,鈥� Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen said in a recent speech on the Senate floor. 鈥淚t is in fact a federal policy, and we are taking steps here that will weaken federal definitions and federal understandings of immigration status. ... In the charged political, state, federal environment that we have right now, it is inevitable that this bill will invite lawsuits.鈥�
Purplish鈥檚 producer is . This episode was edited by and sound designed and engineered by . Additional reporting for this episode came from . Our theme music is by Brad Turner.
