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CAIR News Release - May 15, 2005 Please deliver to the NEWS Editor / Director (one-page fax) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Mike McGarry Telephone/Fax 888 694-1559 Website: www.cairco.org Immigration group to protest Denver's "sanctuary policy" Will demand Mayor Hickenlooper immediately rescind policy May 15, 2005 (Lakewood, CO)-- The Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform (CAIR) will be protesting Denver's "sanctuary policy" that they say is a de facto amnesty for illegal aliens, including known felons. Spokesmen for CAIR said they will hold a press conference and rally on the steps of the Denver City and County Building at 1437 Bannock St., on Monday, May 16, at noon. Immediately following, CAIR's leaders will attempt to meet with the Mayor Hickenlooper to deliver a formal letter detailing their demand that that policy be immediately ended. At issue is language in Denver's police department operations manual which states, "Generally, officers will not detain, arrest, or take enforcement action against a person solely because he/she is suspected of being an undocumented immigrant." CAIR wants the mayor to immediately rescind that language and replace it with affirmative language and practices that encourage cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Under current federal immigration law, an alien who is deported and then returns without authorization has committed a felony. In telephone interviews on radio talk shows on Friday, CAIR's Fred Elbel and Mike McGarry said that the city's current policy prevents Denver's police officers from notifying immigration authorities about the presence in Denver of such an alien, even when those police officers have knowledge that alien had been deported. "This is nothing but an amnesty for foreign criminals while putting the safety and welfare of citizens at risk, and it must stop now," Elbel said. ### The Lakewood-based Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform (CAIR) is a Colorado non-profit corporation advocating for immigration reduction. Home |