Colorado lawmakers advance bill to block local cooperation with ICE without a warrant
The Colorado State Senate gave initial approval Monday to a bill that would limit cooperation between local governments and federal immigration authorities.
The measure would prohibit public schools, universities, child care centers, health care facilities and local governments from sharing personally identifying information with federal immigration agents. It would also block those agencies from allowing federal agents access to non-public areas without a warrant.
In addition, the bill would prevent local law enforcement from notifying or detaining individuals for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"If local governments are not allowed to coordinate in this way and release this info and work with the federal government, it could possibly jeopardize their ability to receive federal funding," said Republican state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer of Weld County.
Democratic state Sen. Mike Weissman, whose district includes Aurora, responded to that concern.
"Look, I hear regularly from our county commissioners. They're concerned in the current environment about their ability to do their human service work," he said. "They haven't come to us with this kind of thing."
Republicans introduced nine amendments to the bill during an eight-hour Senate floor debate. All of them failed.
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The crowd followed, filming with cellphones and surrounding the vehicles for at least a block. The agents then used what appeared at least a dozen rounds of flash-bang grenades and pepper spray before protesters dispersed. A group of 11 L.A. City Councilmembers released a joint statement lambasting the "indiscriminate targeting of children and families" and vowing to fight to protect immigrants. "We condemn this in no uncertain terms: Los Angeles was built by immigrants and it thrives because of immigrants," the group stated. "We will not abide by fear tactics to support extreme political agendas that aim to stoke fear and spread discord in our city." The Los Angeles Police Department and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department released statements saying they were aware of the local immigration actions on Friday. Both agencies said they will neither participate in any enforcement of civil immigration laws nor seek to determine an individual's immigration status. 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Friday's escalation of immigration actions in Los Angeles comes as White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller pushes ICE to start making at least 3,000 arrests a day and meet President Trump's mandate to carry out the largest deportation effort in history. This week, CBS reported that ICE had recorded 2,000 arrests each day, a major increase from the daily average of 660 arrests reported by the agency during Trump's first 100 days back at the White House. Miller and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass clashed on X Friday evening after she posted a statement saying she was deeply angered by the immigration actions and that her office will not stand for it. Miller responded, "You have no say in this at all. Federal law is supreme and federal law will be enforced." The Los Angeles raids also come on the heels of several recent enforcement actions in the Southland — including an incident where ICE agents deployed flash-bang grenades during operations at two San Diego restaurants, and a raid at an underground nightclub in Los Angeles where Chinese and Taiwanese nationals were detained. On Friday afternoon, U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla — alongside California representatives Scott Peters and Juan Vargas — demanded an investigation into the tactics used during the San Diego raids. 'This troubling incident is not an isolated case. Rather, it appears to be part of a broader pattern of escalated and theatrical immigration enforcement operations across the country,' stated the lawmakers. "These events raise serious questions about the appropriateness, proportionality, and execution of ICE tactics.' Times staff writer Kaitlyn Huamani contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
