Colorado communities line up to sue over laws protecting illegal immigrants |

Several jurisdictions in Colorado are considering or currently pursuing legal action over sanctuary policies that they say have led to crime by illegal immigrants in their communities.

The Castle Rock, Colorado, City Council voted unanimously earlier this month to explore the possibility of suing Denver over its sanctuary city policies, CBS Colorado reports. Denver suburbs Aurora and Parker are also considering suing the city over its immigrant policies, as illegal immigrant crime continues to burden residents across the state.

Douglas County and El Paso County in April announced a separate lawsuit against the state of Colorado seeking to strike down two sanctuary laws that largely hamper local law enforcement’s ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities — with Elbert, Garfield, Mesa and Rio Blanco Counties joining the lawsuit the following month. The Colorado counties’ lawsuit seeks to repeal House Bill 19-1124 and House Bill 23-1100, which were signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, a leading proponent of sanctuary city policies in recent years.

Local leaders say residents are fed up with the creation of shelters, which they believe harm their communities rather than help fight crime.

“Everyone is starting to realize that sanctuary cities don’t protect citizens. They only protect criminals,” John Fabbricatore, a retired director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office, told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Monday. Fabbricatore is running as a Republican to represent Colorado’s 6th Congressional District, which includes several jurisdictions that are pursuing or considering litigation over sanctuary city laws.

“Originally, when the sanctuary city laws were written, the left tried to pass them off as protecting immigrants, but immigrants don’t need protection from ICE because they’re here legally,” Fabbricatore explained. “The only thing sanctuary cities really protect are those who commit crimes, and now that we’re seeing this influx of immigrant crime, we’re starting to see people realize that sanctuary cities aren’t in their best interest and that’s where these lawsuits come from.”

Fabbricatore added that these jurisdictions simply want their police to have the ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities so that criminal migrants can be identified and removed, making their communities safer.

House Bill 19-1124 prohibits local law enforcement from turning over information to ICE, and House Bill 23-1100 prohibits municipalities from entering into intergovernmental agreements with federal officials for civil immigration enforcement. Critics argue that both bills make it harder for deportation officers to operate in Colorado and are unconstitutional, according to a Douglas County news release.

According to the Common Sense Institute, the Denver metropolitan area has accepted more than 42,000 migrants from Central and South America since December 2022. The organization estimates that city taxpayers and other local organizations have spent as much as $340 million to feed, clothe, shelter and provide other services to them.

Earlier this year, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced sweeping budget cuts to free up funding for migrant care, including $8.4 million in cuts to the city’s police department and $2.5 million in cuts to the fire department.

Local concerns over the migrant crisis have grown after numerous incidents in the area linked to illegal migrants with ties to Tren de Aragua, an international criminal network founded in Venezuela whose members have gained a foothold in the United States.

Aurora police confirmed earlier this month that four individuals allegedly involved in a shooting that left people hospitalized are or are suspected members of Tren de Aragua. ICE confirmed to the DCNF that all four also entered the U.S. illegally during the Biden-Harris administration.

Aurora has been the subject of national media attention after footage of armed men at an apartment complex went viral in August. Federal immigration authorities later confirmed that the men in the video footage were members of Tren de Aragua, and Aurora city officials sought a court order to vacate the apartment complex, Fox 31 reported.

“Denver’s broken and failed ‘newcomer’ policy has brought criminals to Denver and limited law enforcement’s ability to do their job of protecting our citizens,” Castle Rock Councilman Max Brooks told the DCNF on Monday. “Aurora and the Tren de Aragua gangs are the fruits of this woke, broken labor.”

Brooks led the motion to instruct the city’s attorney to begin exploring legal options, and he says he is specifically working with other municipalities on this potential lawsuit to have “strength in numbers” if and when they face Denver government officials.

“This motion is specifically designed to stop Denver from bringing in more illegal immigrants and exacerbating the harm already done to neighboring communities as these immigrants and criminals seek shelter and criminal opportunity outside of Denver,” Brooks continued.

Neither Polis’s office nor Denver responded to a request for comment from the DCNF.