3 days ago
Colorado governor responds to letter from Department of Justice urging end to "sanctuary policies"
The Colorado governor's office says the U.S. Department of Justice is threatening to pull federal funding and seek legal action, accusing the state of limiting local cooperation with federal immigration agents.
The letter dated Aug. 13, the DOJ states in part, Under President Trump's leadership, full cooperation by state and local governments in immigration enforcement efforts is a top priority. To ensure such cooperation, the President has directed the Attorney General of the United States, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, to identify sanctuary jurisdictions and notify them of their unlawful sanctuary status and potential violations of federal law.
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 Colorado: "Colorado is not a sanctuary state. The Governor continues to be frustrated by this mistaken and incorrect label and the lack of transparency from the federal administration on this and many other items. In Colorado, we are improving public safety, apprehending dangerous criminals, cooperating with federal law enforcement on criminal investigations, and keeping our communities safe. The Governor encourages the federal administration – and Congress – to focus on actually securing the border, decreasing violent crime, increasing transparency, and passing real immigration reform."
"Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement last week. "The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country."
In April, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to "publish a list of States and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws" to be known as "sanctuary jurisdictions."
