Latest news with #Bill25-276
CBS News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Bill strengthening immigrant protections advances in Colorado legislature
Legislation which further insulates state and local officials from federal immigration enforcement and denotes public buildings where Colorado immigrants can seek temporary refuge from federal immigration agents advanced on a preliminary vote Friday in the State House. An amendment to Senate Bill 25-276 was voted down. The amendment was introduced an hour after legislators learned of two moves made by the federal government Friday to pressure Colorado state leaders on their "sanctuary" policies. The first, an executive order from President Donald Trump which threatened the loss of federal funding for local law enforcement agencies which defied federal immigration law. Second, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against City and County of Denver and the State of Colorado - including Gov. Jared Polis, Mayor Mike Johnston, the Denver Sheriff and Colorado's Attorney General - in order to "put an end to those disastrous policies and restore the supremacy of federal immigration law," as stated in the lawsuit's complaint. The amendment introduced by state Rep. Jarvis Caldwell, a Republican from El Paso County, asked for the bill to be nullified should any department of the state government lose federal funding due to the changed proposed in the bill. The amendment was voted down 41-22, with two legislators abstaining. 🚨BREAKING: Just one hour after the DOJ announced they are suing Colorado over its sanctuary policies, @RepCaldwell ran an amendment to SB25-276 that would repeal the bill if it cost the state federal funding. Democrats killed it. They would rather risk millions than reconsider… — Colorado House Republicans (@COHouseGOP) May 3, 2025 Last month, the bill made it through the Colorado Senate in a unanimous vote. It now remains under consideration in the House. SB 25-276 strengthens data privacy for immigrants by preventing local governments, courts and schools from sharing certain personal information. Likewise, law officers from the Colorado state patrol, municipal police departments, town marshal's offices, and county sheriff's offices are prohibited from arresting or detaining any individuals on the basis of a immigration detainer request. Additionally, it prevents federal immigration agents from entering public schools and colleges, hospitals and health care and child care facilities, churches, libraries, and jail without a warrant. The US and Colorado state flag fly in front of the dome at the Colorado State Capital in Denver, Colorado on March 25, 2025. Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images "Colorado is stronger when we all can contribute to our economy without fear," state Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, a Democrate from Glenwood Springs and one of the bill's sponsors, stated in a press release. "The Trump administration's attacks on our civil liberties have sparked chaos among our immigrant communities - parents are afraid to pick up their children from daycare, workers are scared to show up to their jobs. This fear doesn't just hurt our families, but our entire community and Colorado's economy. We're taking steps today to strengthen Colorado laws around personal data sharing and reaffirm our existing protections to ensure due process for all, regardless of immigration status." The Denver Sheriff's Department decided to stop honoring federal immigration detainers in 2014.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado immigration protection bill clears Senate vote
People gathered at the Colorado Capitol in Denver on Feb. 3, 2025, for the national "A Day Without Immigrants" demonstration, a response to President Donald Trump's policies that target the immigrant community. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) The Colorado Senate approved a bill on Monday that would put data protections in place for immigrants and limit where federal immigration authorities can physically access without a warrant. The legislation comes in direct response to the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. Senate Bill 25-276 passed on a 22-13 vote and now heads to the House for consideration in the final weeks of the legislative session. 'The question of who actually gets to be an American, or who actually gets to be protected by the Constitution, is a matter of debate right now in this country and in this state. We've had conversations with teachers and with school districts that are concerned about students being too afraid to come to class and about parents being afraid to go to parent teacher conferences. We can do better than that,' said bill sponsor Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The bill would prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from going into non-public spaces in jails, hospitals, schools and child care centers without a signed, valid warrant. An amendment on the Senate floor added libraries to that list of locations. It also clarifies that local law enforcement cannot cooperate with ICE to land a person in custody through a detainer request by holding that person in jail beyond their ordered release without a warrant. The bill also deals heavily with personally identifiable information, or data about a person that is not publicly available such as birthday, addresses, vehicle registration information and immigration status, which federal authorities might want access to in order to identify people to detain and deport. Local governments would not be allowed to share that type of information with ICE under the bill. Additionally, immigrants would not need to sign an affidavit about their intention to pursue legal status in order to get a driver's license or in-state tuition. 'We're in unprecedented times, where people are being unjustly targeted, incarcerated, removed and deported, and we sit in a position where we might be able to push back and help out, to provide some sort of protection,' said Sen. Jessie Danielson, a Wheat Ridge Democrat. 'It is a terrifying time for a number of people I know, and for a lot of people I don't, and it doesn't take much for me to empathize with that.' The bill comes three months into the second administration of President Donald Trump, who has followed through on a campaign promise to increase efforts to detain and remove immigrants who lack legal status. In Colorado, that has resulted in a series of highly-publicized immigration raids at a party in Adams County and residences in Denver and Aurora and in the detention of immigration rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra. In addition to Gonzales, the bill is sponsored by Sen. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat, Rep. Lorena Garcia, an Adams County Democrat, and Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, a Glenwood Springs Democrat. Sen. Kyle Mullica, a Thornton Democrat, joined Republicans in opposition to the bill. Mullica said his vote was in response to a series of amendments offered during the final vote on Monday — usually amendments are considered during the initial debate and preliminary vote on a bill — and that he did not have sufficient time to read the amendments and consider their implications. One amendment on Monday, for example, clarified that SB-276 does not intend to ban the transfer of a person to and from federal custody if there is a valid warrant. 'This isn't a position in cement that I'm not willing to move,' he said. 'I want the opportunity to digest these amendments and see if there are any amendments that address potential concerns in the second chamber.' If the House passes a version of the bill with other amendments, the Senate would need to sign off on those changes before the bill heads to the governor's desk for a signature. Republicans argued that the bill interferes with federal policy and impedes legal ICE operations, going against the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution. The bill's passage would likely result in lawsuits, they said. 'This undermines federal immigration enforcement. The bill restricts cooperation between state, local entities and federal immigration authorities, potentially obstructing that of which is the province of the federal government — immigration laws,' said Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican. Debate on the bill lasted an entire day last week as Republicans offered amendments that ultimately failed to block it. The bill is likely to face a similarly protracted discussion in the House if chamber leadership decides not to limit the length of debate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
