Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Immigration

Federal Judge Blocks Colorado Law Expanding State Oversight of ICE Facility
Courthouse News Service, Approved, State

Federal Judge Blocks Colorado Law Expanding State Oversight of ICE Facility

By Amanda Pampuro | Courthouse News Service Months before reports of tuberculosis infecting a detainee at an immigration detention center in Aurora, state lawmakers sought to expand the public health department’s ability to inspect the facility. DENVER (CN) — A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Thursday blocking a Colorado law that sought to expand the state public health agency’s ability to inspect an immigrant detention facility in Aurora. “HB-1276 applies only to civilian detention centers, of which there is one,” Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico wrote in the opinion. “Though Colorado argues that the law only brings GEO into compliance with existing state regulations applied to other detention facilities, that law singles out this o...
Colorado’s Citizen Initiative Process Faces Growing Influence From Deep Pockets
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado’s Citizen Initiative Process Faces Growing Influence From Deep Pockets

By Colleen Slevin | The Colorado Sun High cost of getting a measure on the ballot has given wealthy interests more power to push their agendas. Colorado loves its ballot questions, ranking among the top states for the most on the ballot. But voters also like to say no — a lot. In the over 100 years that Colorado voters have been able to petition to put questions on the state’s ballot, only 36% of the 256 questions that made it on the ballot have passed, according to a tally by the state legislature. Questions referred to the ballot by state lawmakers have done better, passing nearly 60% of the time. Between 1960 and 2024, Colorado had the third highest number of voter-initiated ballot measures, behind California and Oregon, according to John Mat...
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston Officially Launches 2027 Reelection Bid
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston Officially Launches 2027 Reelection Bid

By Michael Braithwaite | The Denver Gazette Denver Mayor Mike Johnston officially filed his paperwork Monday to run again for Denver’s mayoral office next year. The filing comes weeks after Johnston confirmed to The Denver Gazette that he would seek reelection as he focuses the final year of his current term on utility costs, childcare and other affordability challenges. “I think the most important thing is to focus on the biggest cost drivers families in Denver are facing,” Johnston said. “And the biggest one, by far, is the cost of housing.” READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
White House Pushes Congress To Strengthen Welfare Fraud Laws After Task Force Findings
The Federalist, Approved, National

White House Pushes Congress To Strengthen Welfare Fraud Laws After Task Force Findings

By: Breccan F. Thies | The Federalist Welfare programs were created in a ‘high trust’ America that no longer exists. THE WHITE HOUSE — Vice President J.D. Vance has been leading the charge against billions in taxpayer fraud. But to mobilize the entire federal government in combating the theft, Vance said Wednesday, Congress needs to create harsher punishments for fraudsters and force states to share data for welfare recipients. Vance hosted a roundtable with members of Congress at the White House midweek, attempting to hammer out plans for legislation to strengthen the executive branch’s ability to investigate fraud and expand prosecutors’ options to penalize Americans and illegals committing fraud. Since the start of Vance’s anti-fraud task force, the gr...
Socialist Backed Candidates Continue to Build Momentum in 2026
Gingrich360.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Socialist Backed Candidates Continue to Build Momentum in 2026

By: Newt Gingrich | Gingrich 360 The recent surge in endorsements by the Democratic Socialists of America for various electoral races — congressional, state, and local — is cause for concern. This year, the Democratic Socialists of America has endorsed 29 candidates for the House of Representatives. Of these, 11 have been defeated in their primaries, seven have won, and 11 are still awaiting their primaries. The importance of these endorsements lies in the positions held by some of these candidates. Here are a few examples of the candidates and their viewpoints: Melat Kiros, a former attorney, defeated 30-year incumbent Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District. Endorsed by both the DSA, Denver DSA, and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Kir...
Immigration Reform And Ending War Could Ease Inflation
The Daily Signal, Approved, Commentary, National

Immigration Reform And Ending War Could Ease Inflation

By Steve Cortes | Commentary, The Daily Signal Housing affordability is awful, and it looks set to get worse. Unless, of course, we take corrective action, especially on immigration and war. Here’s the harsh current reality: Inflation continues to bedevil far too many Americans. Other than owners of substantial assets, wage earners have struggled in this economy for five years, ever since the profligacy of the COVID-19 panic sent prices surging. Consider the kitchen-table fallout from this inflation. Right now, mortgage rates are rising as U.S. Treasury yields climb. Bond investors worldwide demand higher yields to lend money to America, a country grappling with nearly a staggering $40 trillion in federal debt. Consequently, here is the math with ...
Federal Judges Rebuke Colorado Immigration Judge Over Repeated Bond Hearing Errors
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Federal Judges Rebuke Colorado Immigration Judge Over Repeated Bond Hearing Errors

By Michael Karlik | The Denver Gazette Multiple federal judges in Colorado have freed people from immigration custody after determining that one immigration judge violated their directives for properly conducting bond hearings. For nearly a year, Colorado’s U.S. District Court has faced a flood of habeas corpus petitions from those in immigration detention. The most common allegation is that the government is improperly denying bond hearings to people who are eligible by law. Colorado’s judges have largely agreed with that argument, and the Denver-based federal appeals court recently handed down a binding interpretation of the law confirming that view. However, that has not ended the legal battle. Federal judges, in granting habeas petitions, have t...
Colorado Judge Approves $3000 Bond for Woman Detained by ICE at DIA
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Colorado Judge Approves $3000 Bond for Woman Detained by ICE at DIA

By Jennifer McRae | CBS Colorado According to the attorneys for Chantal Rojas, the woman who was detained by ICE at Denver International Airport, she could be released on bond on Wednesday after a judge granted her a $3,000 bond on Tuesday.  The Department of Homeland Security said Rojas is originally from Ecuador and overstayed her visa in the U.S.  She was taken into ICE custody on July 20 and placed in the detention facility in Aurora, Colorado, according to DHS. Last week's interaction between Morales Rojas and DHS was captured on camera and quickly spread online.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
Trump Rolls Out Self-Funding Immigration Fee System With Tougher Enforcement
Just The News, Approved, National

Trump Rolls Out Self-Funding Immigration Fee System With Tougher Enforcement

By Amanda Head | Just the News The new fees, including a $100 charge to apply for asylum and annual penalties for pending cases, also become a self-funding hammer to enforce stricter borders and deter abuse in a system that President Donald Trump has long derided as broken. On Wednesday, the Trump administration gave notice of the start of a sweeping array of new immigration fees, creating a no-lose scenario where the new fees either deter applicants from coming, thus reducing immigration, or they proceed with their application, putting more money into resources to scrutinize claims. The rollout, triggered by notices under last year's “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed last year, layers fresh costs onto everything from work permits for protection seekers to juv...
DOJ Challenges Colorado Law Granting In-State Tuition to Undocumented Students
DENVER7, Approved, State

DOJ Challenges Colorado Law Granting In-State Tuition to Undocumented Students

By: Robert Garrison | Denver7 DENVER — The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Colorado, arguing that the state’s laws granting in-state tuition and certain financial aid benefits to undocumented students violate the Constitution. The complaint was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Denver. President Donald Trump’s DOJ claims in the suit that federal law prohibits states from giving postsecondary education benefits to people “not lawfully present” based on state residency unless the same benefits are available to all U.S. citizens regardless of where they live. “An alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible based on residence within a State (or a political subdivision) for any postsecondary education benefit unless a ...