By The opinion
Apr 24, 2024, 18:23 PM EDT
A growing number of Colorado counties joined a joint lawsuit against the state government on Wednesday to request the repeal of current laws that prohibit the collaboration of local police with federal immigration agents.
The lawsuit, brought by Douglas and El Paso counties, south of Denver, argues that HB19-1124 and HB23-1100 should be repealed because, by preventing cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), they endanger the “quality of life” and “security” of those jurisdictions.
These laws also prohibit authorities from revealing specific information about detainees to federal immigration officials. The plaintiffs allege the laws violate local provisions of the state Constitution.
Specifically, The legal complaint maintains that these two laws are “illegal and unconstitutional” because they violate the provisions of the Colorado Constitution on “intergovernmental relations.” and “distribution of powers,” and, as such, would not conform to federal immigration laws and regulations, which take precedence over state laws.
Repealing those laws would allow counties to implement “necessary measures to preserve the public welfare, health and safety of our local community,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit comes as Colorado, specifically the Denver metropolitan area, continues to deal with the arrival of new immigrants to the state, primarily through buses sent by the Texas government.
This Wednesday, Mesa County (in western Colorado) joined the lawsuit and two other counties, Larimer and Weld (in the north of the state) announced their intention to do so.
“Current laws tie the hands of our local authorities in communicating with federal officials about immigration, which we believe is counterproductive.. (These laws) put our law enforcement officials and the people of our community at risk,” Cody Davis of Mesa County said today.
For its part, the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) called the lawsuit “inherently discriminatory” by “ignoring the contributions of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans, many of whom have considered this state as their home for decades.”
“We will continue to stand firm and united against these short-sighted and politically motivated attacks against our communities of immigrants and residents of Colorado,” said Raquel Lane-Arellano, communications director of CIRC, in statements sent to EFE.
This is not the first time that the laws have been the subject of a lawsuit, but the Colorado Supreme Court previously opined that HB19-1124 and HB23-1100 are constitutional.
The commissioners of the plaintiff counties anticipated that, if necessary, they will take the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
Keep reading:
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