Sanctuary city mayors, who once deployed police to thwart deportation officials and suggested they were willing to go to jail over the issue, now cooperate with federal immigration authorities in certain circumstances. It shows the intention to do so.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said the city works with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in cases involving violent criminal immigrants and notifies authorities of impending release if ICE requests it. According to Johnston’s statement to Fox31. The comments come as the Department of Justice (DOJ) established a task force tasked with examining sanctuary jurisdictions. (Related: Trump administration to use military aircraft to deport 5,000 illegal immigrants)
“The entire state is bound by state law in this regard. Like anywhere in the state, some of these practices are pretty consistent and don’t respect ICE detainees,” Johnston told FOX31. “When you get a call from ICE and say, ‘Can you hold someone for three more days?’ That doesn’t happen in Douglas County or Yuma or Denver.”
“Many of these practices are similar across the state, but I think in our case we are finding a common sense balance of not having our local police do federal law enforcement. “It’s not ICE’s job, we’re not going to do ICE’s job for them,” he continued. “But if they request information about the people we have in our custody, we will let them know when we release them.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 18: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on January 18, 2024 in Washington, DC. Colorado’s delegation called on Congress to take action to help Colorado communities hosting immigrants. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The comments appeared to be in sharp contrast to statements he made shortly after President Donald Trump’s election victory, which brought the prospect of a large-scale deportation operation closer to reality.
Johnston in November proposed He intended to send Denver police to the county line to prevent federal immigration agents from entering Denver’s jurisdiction. Later that month, he backtracked on those comments by saying: affirmed He was not afraid of being imprisoned for interfering with border czar Tom Homan’s execution plans.
The Denver metro area has welcomed more than 42,000 immigrants from Central and South America since December 2022. According to Common Sense Institute. The group estimates that Denver taxpayers and other local organizations spent as much as $340 million to provide food, clothing, shelter and other services.
Last year, the city of Johnston announced significant budget cuts, cutting funding for the city’s police department by $8.4 million and its fire department by $2.5 million in order to allocate adequate funding for immigration services.
Homan previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that local governments have the right not to assist ICE officers, but they cannot overtly obstruct ICE officers from carrying out their duties.
“Federal law prohibits the intentional hiding of illegal aliens from ICE agents,” Homan told DCNF. “There are statutes in place for obstruction of federal law enforcement officers, all of which are felonies.”
“Right now, these sanctuary cities can’t help – okay, that’s fine. They can step aside, that’s fine, but they can’t step over the line,” Homan continued. “If they cross that line, we will ask the prosecutor’s office to consider filing charges.”
The Trump administration appears to be escalating its fight with jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate. The Department of Justice has just established a Sanctuary City Enforcement Task Force. The task force is tasked with identifying state and local laws or policies that are “inconsistent” with federal immigration efforts and, if necessary, challenging those laws in court.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department’s litigation division are also tasked with investigating “misconduct” by officials who obstruct federal immigration enforcement and will seek prosecution.
The border czar has a particular interest in Denver and said he has no problem prosecuting Johnston in prison if he crosses the line.
“But look, me and the mayor of Denver agree on one thing: He’s willing to go to jail, and I’m willing to put him in jail,” Homan told Fox News. . in november.
A spokesperson for the city of Denver did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DCNF.
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