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Tag: Immigration enforcement

Polis Rejects DOJ Label as Sanctuary State and Defends Local Law
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Polis Rejects DOJ Label as Sanctuary State and Defends Local Law

By Jennifer McRae | CBS News Colorado The Justice Department put 11 other states on its list besides Colorado — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia. It also included Baltimore County, Maryland; Cook County, Illinois; San Diego County, California; and San Francisco County, California, along with 18 cities from Seattle to Philadelphia. The letter states that a response to the letter must be submitted by Aug. 19 that "confirms your commitment to complying with federal law and identifies the immediate incentives you are taking to eliminate laws, policies, and practices that impede federal immigration enforcement." Gov. Polis' Office said in a statement to CBS Co...
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Colorado judge blocks ICE from courthouse arrests, raising questions of state vs federal authority
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Colorado Public Radio, Approved, Local

Colorado judge blocks ICE from courthouse arrests, raising questions of state vs federal authority

By Chuck Murphy | CPR News Another Colorado judge has ordered federal immigration agents to stop making civil immigration violation arrests in courthouses. Amanda C. Hopkins, chief judge of the 12th Judicial District for six south central Colorado counties, issued an administrative order Tuesday barring anyone from making civil detentions in the district’s courthouses. “Effecting civil arrests against people attending to court matters has several consequences to the court’s constitutionally-mandated administration of justice,” Hopkins wrote in the order. “Civil arrests have a chilling effect not only on criminal defendants’ presence at their hearings, but also on victims reporting crimes.” Colorado law prohibits arrests for civil violations at courthouses: “[A] person shal...
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Federal Government Threatens Colorado Over Sanctuary Laws
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Approved, DENVER7, National

Federal Government Threatens Colorado Over Sanctuary Laws

By Óscar Contreras | Denver7 Attorney General Pam Bondi says in letter Colorado “engages in sanctuary policies that thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States”. DENVER — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday threatened Gov. Jared Polis with legal action and the pulling of federal funds if he fails to eliminate state laws the Trump administration believes impede with the president’s plans for mass deportations. The demand letter, which was also addressed to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, identified Colorado as a jurisdiction that “engages in sanctuary policies and practices that thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States.” It requests that Gov. Polis submit a ...
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Colorado’s Top Lawyer Is Breaking the Law He Swore to Uphold
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Fox News, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Top Lawyer Is Breaking the Law He Swore to Uphold

By Hans A. von Spakovsky | Commentary, Fox News Mesa County sheriff removes two deputies from drug task force over information sharing with ICE. By suing Mesa County Deputy Sheriff Alexander Zwink for sharing information about an illegal alien with federal authorities, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is blatantly violating federal law. The Justice Department has already filed a lawsuit to go after the state law he was enforcing, which violates a specific provision of federal immigration law and the U.S. Constitution. Not only should that state law be declared null and void by a federal court, but the two Colorado deputies and their supervisors who’ve been disciplined for this should be immediately reinstated and commended for their work. All of this arises out of Zwink...
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Over 100,000 Americans seek to join ICE as border crisis deepens
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The Epoch Times, Approved, National

Over 100,000 Americans seek to join ICE as border crisis deepens

By Naveen Athrappully | Epoch Times New recruits can get up to $50,000 in bonuses and benefits such as student loan forgiveness. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has received more than 100,000 job applications from Americans, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Aug. 12. “Our country is calling you to serve at ICE. In the wake of the Biden administration’s failed immigration policies, your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “This is a defining moment in our nation’s history. Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland.” Applications began pouring in after the ...
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ICE Could Open 1,250-Bed Detention Center in Rural Colorado in 2025
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kdvr.com, Approved, Local

ICE Could Open 1,250-Bed Detention Center in Rural Colorado in 2025

By Shaul Turner | KDVR Fox 31 HUDSON, Colo. (KDVR) — A new immigration detention center will open in Colorado as President Donald Trump strengthens his immigration enforcement plan. The new facility will open in Hudson, about 30 miles northeast of Denver, at a state prison that is currently closed. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tells FOX31 it has run out of room in the Aurora detention center after making more arrests so far this fiscal year than in all of 2024. The 1,250-bed facility in Hudson was privately owned and closed in 2014. It was operated by the GEO Group, which also runs ICE’s Aurora detention facility. Hudson has approximately 1,600 residents. FOX31 spoke with some who fully support the use of the closed prison as an ICE facility. “If they can use it ...
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“We absolutely back the badge”: Mesa County defends deputy in federal suit
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, Top Stories

“We absolutely back the badge”: Mesa County defends deputy in federal suit

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Mesa County is taking Colorado’s top political figures to court. On Tuesday, commissioners unanimously voted to authorize a federal lawsuit against Governor Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser over what they called “politically motivated litigation” targeting local law enforcement under a controversial new state law. The board’s action followed a detailed legal presentation from County Attorney Todd Starr and remarks from all three commissioners defending Sheriff Todd Rowell and other named deputies. “This action is necessary to protect the constitutional rights of our employees at the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office,” Starr said. “They’re  facing imminent threats of civil liability and penalties.” At issue is Senate Bill 276, which ...
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Law Enforcement Under Fire for Upholding Federal Immigration Laws
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State, Approved, denvergazette.com

Law Enforcement Under Fire for Upholding Federal Immigration Laws

By Luige del Puerto | The Denver Gazette Phil Weiser's suit targets Mesa County Deputy Alexander Zwinck for allegedly violating state laws that prohibit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The unpaid, weeks-long suspension of a deputy sheriff out of Mesa County for sharing information with federal agents has raised questions about how local authorities must navigate a state law that bars cooperation with immigration enforcers. More notably, it's unclear whether the impositions of the new law also mean limiting access by local officers to the more expansive federal databases — something the Mesa County deputy had cited as a major reason for cooperating with multiple agencies.  The law, expanded this year, expressly prohibits all Colorado state agencies an...
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State Targets Law Enforcement for Cooperating with Federal Immigration Agents
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Fox News, Approved, State

State Targets Law Enforcement for Cooperating with Federal Immigration Agents

By Landon Mion | Fox News Mesa County deputies Alexander Zwinck and Erik Olson were placed on unpaid leave after sharing information with ICE following traffic stops. Two Colorado deputies have been disciplined for sharing information with federal immigration agents, which is a violation of state law enacted a few months ago. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser sued Mesa County Sheriff's Deputy Alexander Zwinck last week after his cooperation with federal immigration agents on a drug task force was exposed during a Brazilian college student's arrest for an expired visa, according to The Associated Press. While addressing the incident on Thursday, Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell said Caroline Dias-Goncalves, a 19-year-old nursing student, was pulled over by Zwinck for a traffi...
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Mesa County Sheriff Blasts Phil Weiser for Politicized Lawsuit Against Deputy
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Local, Approved, denvergazette.com

Mesa County Sheriff Blasts Phil Weiser for Politicized Lawsuit Against Deputy

By Luige del Puerto and Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette The decision by the Colorado Attorney General's Office to sue a deputy is "demoralizing," Mesa County's sheriff said on Wednesday, arguing it sends the message that the state's top law enforcement office is selectively enforcing a state law barring cooperation with federal immigration agents — and for "maximum political effect." Sheriff Todd Rowell said Attorney General Phil Weiser knew of officers from another law enforcement agency who also shared information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faced no consequences, while his deputy is the subject of a lawsuit from Weiser's office. "As it stands, the lawsuit filed by the Attorney General’s Office sends a demoralizing message to law enforcemen...
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