Colorado’s sanctuary policies protecting illegal immigrants from detainment and deportation are unconstitutional and interfere with the federal government, the Trump administration argues in a new lawsuit against the state.
The lawsuit, filed on Friday, cites the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua’s foothold in the state, and details how several state laws and Denver codes amount to sanctuary policies.
“The fact that a foreign terrorist organization could gain such a foothold in the United States of America is unacceptable,” the Department of Justice said in the lawsuit. “But it is the direct byproduct of the sanctuary policies pushed by the State of Colorado, and certain of its subdivisions.”
“This is a suit to put an end to those disastrous policies and restore the supremacy of federal immigration law,” the officials said.
The lawsuit cites a state law that bars law enforcement from participating in a federal detainer request unless there’s a court warrant, a law that prohibits state officials from sharing information with federal enforcement agencies, and another law that bans “immigration detention agreements.” It also cites a Denver law that bars the use of “any city funds or resources to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”
According to the lawsuit, the sanctuary policies’ “intent and design interfere with and discriminate against the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law. That all violates the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.”
The lawsuit lists Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, Denver City Council, and the Denver Sheriff Department as defendants.
A spokesperson for the governor denied that the state is a sanctuary for illegal immigrants in a statement to local media.
“The State of Colorado works with local, state and federal law enforcement regularly and we value our partnerships with local, county and federal law enforcement agencies to make Colorado safer,” the spokesperson said. “If the courts say that any Colorado law is not valid, then we will follow the ruling. We are not going to comment on the merits of the lawsuit.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans said the state’s sanctuary laws “are crippling local law enforcement and making families feel unsafe.”
“It’s imperative Republicans push back on Colorado’s sanctuary laws that make our state the third most dangerous in the nation, create a safe haven for criminals and drug traffickers, all while putting families in harm’s way. I applaud this effort to hold sanctuary policies accountable,” he said.
