Letter to Denver Mayor Hickenlooper on Denver Illegal Alien Sanctuary Policy

CAIR
COLORADO ALLIANCE FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
PO Box 151270 Lakewood CO 80215-9270
www.cairco.org
Telephone/Fax:1.888.694.1559

May 16, 2005

The Honorable Mayor John Hickenlooper
City and County of Denver
1437 Bannock St., Room 350
Denver, Colorado 80202

Dear Mayor Hickenlooper:

Also see:
Overview of Denver sanctuary policy.
Denver's illegal alien hiring hall (Dec, 2005). Protest (Jan, 2006).
Articles on sanctuary policy for illegals.
CAIR May 16 protest & news conference:
       pictures     news release
       statements by Lamm,   Tancredo
       letter to Mayor     letters to the editor.
Executive Order 116:
       Webb     article     legal opinion.
Denver Police policy.
Audio clips - Hickenlooper and others
 
Research:
Federal law requires full cooperation between localities and the INS (ICE).
Immigration Law Enforcement by Local Agencies
Sanctuary Cities and States -- Undermining the American Republic
Supreme Court Ruling Razes Artificial Fire Wall Between Local Law Enforcement and Immigration Enforcement
Role of State and Local Police In Immigration Law Enforcement
Non-Cooperation Policies

The first obligation of government is the protection its citizens. Denver's sanctuary policy and practices scandalously and outrageously violate that obligation and make mockery of the rule of law. The city's sanctuary policies and practices amount to a shameful, localized de facto amnesty for illegal aliens, including known felons, putting the "rights" of criminals over the rights, safety and welfare of citizens.

Accordingly please consider this a respectful demand that you:

• Repudiate, by rescinding, former Mayor Webb's Executive Order 116, implemented in 1998, an artfully worded treatise on sanctuary for illegal aliens.
  
• Issue an Executive Order stating that the City and County of Denver unequivocally condemns illegal immigration, with language that makes it clear Denver will not tolerate or facilitate such lawlessness.
  
• Immediately expurgate any and all sanctuary-policy language of Denver's police department operations manual, including, but not limited to: "Generally, officers will not detain, arrest, or take enforcement action against a person solely because he/she is suspected of being an undocumented immigrant (sic)."
  
• Replace that language with unequivocal language that mandates full, unfettered cooperation with the federal immigration authorities in the identification and removal of illegal aliens.
  
• (We made these scheduling requests to your scheduler, Mr. Aragon, on Friday, May 13, via his telephone message machine and again, at his recorded instructions, by email to him.) Be on hand to formally receive this letter today; briefly meet with us today to discuss our immediate concerns; provide to us today a date and time, within ten days of the date of this letter, for you to meet with us and other citizens to discuss in depth the city's sanctuary policy and practices and to begin to fashion replacement language for the sanctuary-policy language currently in the police department operations manual.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to meeting and working with you.

Sincerely,

Fred Elbel
Director, CAIR

Mike McGarry
Sanctuary-Policy Project Director, CAIR