Politicians could face lawsuits and charges
A Colorado Springs Republican and immigration ally of President Donald Trump is once again drawing ire from activists over a bill that would ask voters to open up officials in so-called sanctuary cities to punishment and require local police to help enforce federal immigration laws.
House Bill 1178 is a mirror image of a proposal state Rep. Dave Williams brought forth last year and that died in the Democratic-controlled House, except for that its latest iteration would put the question of whether to enact the policies to an election.
This year’s measure, however, is expected to meet the same fate as last year’s in the legislature.
The legislation would allow victims of crimes committed by people who are in the U.S. illegally to sue cities and their politicians if they have so-called sanctuary policies. It would also make the creation of those policies a Class 4 felony offense.
The bill, co-sponsored by GOP Sens. Vicki Marble of Fort Collins, and Kevin Lundberg of Berthoud, also would require local law enforcement officers to notify federal immigration officials if they suspect a person under arrest is living in the U.S. illegally.
Immigrant advocacy groups have planned a Wednesday rally against Williams’ legislation, which they call bigoted and xenophobic.
“The only people that are bigoted are the ones who called me half-Latino last year,” Williams said Tuesday. “This is about accountability for politicians who let criminal aliens run loose on our streets. … What this bill would do is it would simply allow victims and others to potentially take these sanctuary city politicians to court and bring justice to a situation where people are dying.”
The bill is slated to be heard Wednesday afternoon in the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee. “I’ll keep pushing for it until we get it right,” Williams said.
Williams and three other Republican members of the House went to a White House summit earlier this month to discuss ideas on how to punish sanctuary cities.
Williams has been a vocal critic, both locally and on the national stage, of Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration and the Denver City Council over their immigration policies.
Denver has clashed with the Trump administration over its handling of immigration issues and people living in the U.S. unlawfully.
That friction again came to a head this week, when the city’s jail released a man accused in a fatal hit-and-run despite him being in the U.S. illegally and federal immigration officials’ request that they be notified beforehand.