Colorado deemed ‘sanctuary state’ by United States Justice Department

STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) -- The United States Justice Department has declared Colorado a "sanctuary state," according to a press release sent on Tuesday.

The classification is based on public declarations, ordinances, and other measures that "materially impede enforcement of federal immigration statutes and regulations," the Justice Department said.

Colorado is one of 13 states that made the list. Only four counties nationwide were mentioned: Baltimore County (Maryland), Cook County (Illinois), San Diego County (California), and San Francisco County (California).

The list was also broken down by cities, with Denver the only city in Colorado making the list.

This varies greatly from the now-deleted list published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security back in May.

Why was the old list by Homeland Security deleted?

When Homeland Security's list was published in May, El Paso County was named, though the county was quickly removed hours later, likely due to pushback from local and state representatives. Pueblo County was also named. Later, the entire list was deleted just days later.

Homeland Security's list faced criticism from local agencies nationwide, including some officials saying their officers can assist ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in certain situations.

"This list was created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to object
to the designation," wrote President Sheriff Kieran Donahue of the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) back in May. "Sheriffs nationwide have no way to know what they must do or not do to avoid this arbitrary label."

In El Paso County, Sheriff Joseph Roybal has touted enthusiasm and passion for assisting ICE. The sheriff had frequently reiterated that he wants to be able to work closer with ICE. His office has also identified and published the names of people who have been arrested for crimes and handed over to ICE. Still, the county was initially named.

When El Paso County was removed hours later, Sheriff Roybal and other officials sent a joint statement saying, in part, "We are grateful for the amended designation. The record now reflects the truth."

The latest list from the Justice Department

STATES:

• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Illinois
• Minnesota
• Nevada
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Washington

COUNTIES:

• Baltimore County, MD
• Cook County, IL
• San Diego County, CA
• San Francisco County, CA

CITIES:

• Albuquerque, NM
• Berkeley, CA
• Boston, MA
• Chicago, IL
• Denver, CO
• East Lansing, MI
• Hoboken, NJ
• Jersey City, NJ
• Los Angeles, CA
• New Orleans, LA
• New York City, NY
• Newark, NJ
• Paterson, NJ
• Philadelphia, PA
• Portland, OR
• Rochester, NY
• Seattle, WA
• San Francisco City, CA

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.