El Paso County Sheriff wants to work closer with ICE, ACLU urging law enforcement to reconsider
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The El Paso County Sheriff and 12 other sheriffs across Colorado formally announced their support of HB25-047, a bill they say would allow them to keep their communities safer by clearing the way for them to work closer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
However, the ACLU of Colorado says that the passage of that bill would strip rights away from Colorado residents.
"We have been concerned about the growing population of foreign cartels, sex traffickers, and gang members. Sadly, politics have failed the citizens of Colorado when it comes to dealing with illegal immigration and the negative consequences," El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal says this new bill, which Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell told KRDO13 Investigates said he helped write, will help keep undocumented immigrants accused of crimes from reoffending.
During Monday morning's press conference, Sheriff Roybal said the new bill would fundamentally change the way their office handles undocumented immigrants charged with crimes. In the current system sheriff's deputies only give ICE officials a six-hour notice before an undocumented immigrant accused of a crime is released. If this bill becomes law it would allow the sheriff to hold undocumented immigrants accused of crimes in jail on immigration detainers even if they post bond.
"We made it crystal clear. It is written in this legislation. We're going after criminals. If they vote against not allowing us to house criminals, they're voting against the safety of their own communities," Sheriff Roybal assured he would only use this to keep those accused of a crime in jail. He even went a step further and said a policy would be put in place at the El Paso County Sheriff's Office to prevent his deputies from participating in roundups of undocumented immigrants who haven't committed a crime.
The Sheriff would implement these practices as a part of a 287(g) agreement with ICE, an agreement he said he would enter if the law passes. The Sheriff's Office says a benefit of the agreement is ICE would pay for the undocumented immigrants to be housed in the county jail. Sheriff Roybal has said the jail has enough capacity.
ACLU Response
The ACLU of Colorado told KRDO13 Investigates they do not support HB25-047 and provided a statement:
“The ACLU of Colorado is committed to protecting the rights of all Coloradans, including our state’s immigrant communities and families. We reiterate that Colorado law restricts state and local law enforcement’s involvement in the enforcement of federal civil immigration law. Collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement risks betraying community trust and can deprive residents of their rights guaranteed under the Colorado Constitution and state law. We urge law enforcement to consider their duty to serve all members of the public, and not engage in civil immigration enforcement measures that can threaten to tear families apart and destabilize communities.”