El Paso & Teller County Sheriffs announce coalition to support House Bill 24-1128

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - Both the El Paso County Sheriff and Teller County County Sheriff announced Wednesday that after meeting with sheriffs and legislators from across the state, they are forming a coalition to support House Bill 24-1128, which was introduced in the Colorado House on Jan. 29, 2024.

According to the Colorado General Assembly, HB24-1128 concerns, "reversing certain actions by the general assembly related to measures intended to limit enforcement of federal immigration law." The newly formed coalition says HB24-1128 specifically aims to reverse HB19-1124 and HB23-1100, which "prevent Colorado law enforcement agencies, such as the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, from working with federal partners, such as ICE (U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement), to uphold the laws of the constitution, and collaborate efforts to arrest, detain, and deport undocumented residents.

According to the coalition, in summary:

HB19-1124 prohibits Colorado law enforcement agencies from arresting or detaining an individual on the basis of a civil immigration detainer request from ICE or any other requesting agency.

HB23-1100 does the following:

• Prohibits local government entities from entering into agreements for the detention of individuals in an immigration detention facility owned/operated by a private entity;
• Prohibits local government entities from selling any property for the purpose of establishing in an immigration detention facility owned/operated by a private entity;
• Prohibits local government entities from entering into agreements to house or detain individuals for federal immigration purposes;
• Requires local government entities to terminate any existing agreements for the purpose of housing or detaining individuals for federal immigration purposes.

Joseph Royball is the El Paso County Sheriff.

Jason Mikesell is the Teller County Sheriff.