Court Won’t Toss Suit Claiming Polis Violated Colorado’s Limits on ICE Cooperation

By: Taylor Dolven | The Colorado Sun

A judge has denied Gov. Jared Polis’ request to dismiss the case against him in state court alleging his attempt to comply with a subpoena from Immigration and Customs Enforcement breaks state law.

Denver District Judge A. Bruce Jones on Wednesday rejected Polis’ motion to dismiss the case originally brought by former state labor department employee Scott Moss. Moss sued Polis in June after the governor ordered Moss to comply with a subpoena from ICE for personal information of Coloradans acting as sponsors for unaccompanied immigrant children.

Just weeks after Moss filed the lawsuit, Jones blocked Polis from ordering certain state workers to hand over personal information to ICE while the case could be heard. The Polis administration has given records to ICE several times since February, including one instance officials said was in error.

Colorado law prohibits state agencies from providing personal information to federal immigration officials unless it is related to a criminal investigation. Polis has argued that the subpoena at the center of the case is related to a human trafficking investigation by the Department of Homeland Security, an argument Jones has so far rejected. 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE COLORADO SUN