29-04-2025
TCSO, ICE: Colorado legislation hinders law enforcement
(TELLER COUNTY, Colo.) — Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell and a representative from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) held a press conference on Tuesday Morning, April 29, to comment on a person of interest in a homicide case who was recently detained by ICE, as well as how Colorado legislation impacts law enforcement in the state.
According to Mikesell, the Teller County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) worked in partnership with ICE to detain Luis Sanchez-Chavez, a person of interest in TCSO's homicide case, in which a person was found dead.
RELATED STORY: ICE: Person of interest in Teller County homicide arrested
TCSO notified ICE about Sanchez-Chavez's connection to the case, and ICE identified and detained him, both for his connection to the case and for issues regarding his immigration status. The collaboration between ICE and TCSO allows the sheriff's office to question Sanchez-Chavez about the case.
Sheriff Mikesell went on to discuss how current Colorado legislation impacts the jobs of state and local law enforcement agencies. He stated that bills such as SB25-276, Protect Civil Rights Immigration Status, and HB23-1100, Restrict Government Involvement in Immigration Detention, protect criminals and prevent law enforcement from detaining people with criminal history or sharing information about them with federal agencies, such as ICE.
According to Mikesell, after a person has committed a crime and served their sentence or has been released on bond, the legislation prevents law enforcement from sharing information with ICE about them or holding a person with questionable immigration status until ICE can retrieve them.
Mikesell stated that the inability to hold people for federal agencies puts officers, the public, and even the subject in more danger, as ICE then has to go into the community to track them down and apprehend them. This requires more resources and personnel and creates a higher chance of confrontation, instead of being able to make the transfer in a controlled environment.
The sheriff expressed the frustration of working in a state in which he feels the laws were designed to go after officers for doing their job, stating that, if passed, SB 25-276 could allow an officer to be penalized up to $50,000 for assisting federal agencies.
County Commissioner Dan Williams spoke about President Donald Trump's recent executive order requiring sanctuary jurisdictions to comply with federal immigration law or face losing federal funding. Williams stated that this puts Colorado in danger of losing 18.4 billion dollars in federal funding, which is equivalent to 22.2% of the state's budget. Williams said this would affect Medicaid, elder care, food banks, fire protection, and other important programs.
Assistant Field Director with ICE, Robert Coultrip, stated that when ICE detains a person, they can't bar them from their due process under the law.
Coultrip said that under the Criminal Alien Program (CAP), ICE is notified if someone not born in the U.S. is taken into custody by law enforcement, at which time an investigation is initiated. ICE then places a detainer, so that once the person has completed their time in incarceration, or has been granted bond, law enforcement detains them long enough for ICE to respond.
According to Coultrip, when state legislation obstructs the CAP process, criminals are released back into the community before ICE can take custody of them, giving them the opportunity to disappear.
Coultrip stated that ICE prioritizes people known to be the biggest risk to communities, including felons, people with multiple DUIs, or those who have caused DUI homicide. Those with a secondary connection to criminal activity, such as people within a gang network, who have not been convicted of a crime, may also be investigated and arrested.
Mikesell ended the press conference by expressing his desire for a stakeholder meeting between state leadership, including Governor Jared Polis, law enforcement, and other relevant agencies, to hold a meaningful discussion on the issues.
FOX21 News reached out to Governor Polis for comment and is waiting to hear back.
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