A Colorado county has filed a lawsuit against the state over its sanctuary status regarding immigration policies.
On Monday, Douglas County filed a new lawsuit against Democratic Governor Jared Polis as well as the state as a whole, referencing two different bills — House bill 23-1100 and House bill 19-1124.
RIght now, the state is trying to seek out the right to comply with the federal government on matters of immigration, which these bills ban.
The bills in question forbid law enforcement agencies in Colorado from detaining and arresting any undocumented immigrant based solely on their immigration status. Judges are also barred from exchanging any information with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Local governments in the state also may not enter into an agreement with the federal government on any matter related to enforcing immigration, as per these bills.
On Monday, the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners held a press conference to announce the new lawsuit. At that conference, George Teal, the chairman of the board, said the state’s laws are “a violation of several tenets of the Colorado State Constitution.”
He continued:
“It is our intent to bring suit specifically to address the illegal immigration crisis now present in this country. Federal policies along the southern border have resulted in an unlimited stream of illegal immigrants into our communities.”
He added that the Board of County Commissioners believes that it’s their civic duty to file this lawsuit on behalf of the county, its residents and the residents of the state of Colorado.
Teal said:
“We see it as the duty of the county to push back against the state laws that prohibit us from working with federal authorities to keep Douglas County and our communities safe. That is the purpose of this lawsuit, and we do believe we will have victory.”
Abe Laydon, another county commissioner, said that while he understood that those who are seeking asylum and refuge in the United States have a significant plight against them, the quality of life of the people who live in Douglas County must come first.
He explained:
“We want to prioritize the rights of those who are legally here first. We heard many months ago that 40,000 Venezuelan migrants were being bussed to Denver from Texas at a cost of about $120 million to the city and county of Denver and Douglas County. … We are not going to be cutting services to our residents.”
That’s a scenario that many liberal-led states and communities throughout the country have faced over the last few years. With migrants coming to their regions in large numbers — thanks to the lax border policies of the Biden administration and the welcoming communities these sanctuary cities present — budgets have become very constrained.
The people who are suffering as a result are the residents of the cities and towns who are here legally. With so much money and resources being taken up trying to serve the migrants, so many normal services are being cut from people’s lives.
