Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office says it will not participate in ICE round-up operations

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – Pueblo County Sheriff David J. Lucero released a statement Thursday regarding the agency's cooperation with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), days after President Donald Trump issued a flurry of executive orders targeting immigration.

Lucero says while his office will cooperate with ICE when criminal charges are involved, PCSO will not support or participate in any round-up operations.

"If there is something criminal related and we know the offender is in our county, absolutely we will support them," Lucero said. "We will not support any round-up operations. My role isn’t to enforce immigration laws, I am not the federal sheriff. My role is to enforce Colorado law and to ensure the safety of the citizens of Pueblo County."

Lucero further stated the sheriff’s office does not have the resources to participate in operations to round up undocumented immigrants.

Instead, deputies will continue to seek out and arrest anyone who is wanted for committing a crime or is a threat to the safety of the community – but PCSO deputies will not be out looking to arrest people based on their immigration status alone.

In the statement, Lucero said he also wanted to quell rumors circulating in the community that PCSO deputies will be assisting ICE in conducting roundups at schools, churches and other similar
venues.

The clarification comes after the Department of Homeland Security announced a policy change on Tuesday that allows ICE agents to go into “sensitive areas,” including schools and churches.

Lucero added the sheriff’s office has no record of any child in School District 70 who has committed a crime and would be sought by ICE, nor does PCSO have or maintain a database of individuals who are living here illegally.

“What we will do is we will continue to comply with state law concerning immigration and
cooperation with federal officials,” Lucero said.