Bills in the 2013 legislative session related to immigration

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Colorado legislation

2013 Colorado immigration bills of interest

SB13-251 - Driver's licenses for illegal aliens: Driver's License & Identification Documentation

 

HB13-1258 - the anti-cooperation bill to repeal SB90, the bipartisan 2006 ban on sanctuary cities:

SB 90 was passed in the regular bipartisan 2006 Colorado legislative session in order to ban sanctuary cities. Here is a summary of bills passed in the regular 2006 Colorado legislative session.

The 2013 Democratic legislature has introduced an anti-cooperation bill to repeal 2006 SB 90. HB13-1258 - the Community And Law Enforcement Trust Act. HB13-1258 is an anti-cooperation bill designed to prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with immigration officials, thus making sanctuary cities once again possible in Colorado.

Key points why HB 1258 should not be passed:

  • HB 1258 is an anti-cooperation bill. If a law enforcement officer spots a previously deported gang member, anti-cooperation policies prohibit detaining him unless he actually commits another, non-immigration crime. It should be noted that illegal re-entry after a deportation is a federal felony, so that is grounds for arrest all by itself.
  • The main argument by supporters in favor of HB 1258 is that since the federal ICE Secure Communities program is now in effect in all 64 Colorado counties, the need for SB90 is eliminated. However, unless and until we have some reliable numbers from Denver and other counties on the deportations of criminal aliens under the ICE Secure Communities program, we can not possibly conclude that the Secure Communities program has replaced SB90. Thus, revoking SB90 would in practice leave nothing to replace it.
  • See the article Democrats plot to betray citizens on amnesty for a good analysis of why the Secure Communities program is not sufficient to justify revoking SB90.
  • Current cooperation law (Colorado Revised Statues article 29 of title 29) is reasonable - it does not apply to those arrested for minor traffic infractions or suspicion of domestic violence.
  • By preventing local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, we are only encouraging more illegal immigration into the US.
  • Sanctuary cities are illegal, made so by federal legislation enacted in 1996. Just because the federal government has abdicated its responsibility to enforce that law does not empower states to violate that law.  
  • Because HB 1258 violates federal anti-cooperation law, ICE could cut off federal funds if it becomes law.
  • Sanctuary cities act as havens for illegal aliens who take much needed jobs from Americans in this terrible economy.
  • ICE Director John Morton has said that anti-cooperation policies will lead to additional crimes that could have been prevented.
  • The "safety clause" of the bill is not applicable - the bill is not necessary "for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety." The "safety clause" is ironic because the bill would worsen, not preserve the public peace, health, and safety. The clause will also make it more difficult to correct the bill with subsequent legislation or initiatives.

 

More information about the bill:

  • Here is the text of HB13-1258 - The Community And Law Enforcement Trust Act.
  • Heard by the House committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs on March 18, 2013. Passed to the full house on a vote of 9-2.
    Passed by the House on March 25, 2012 and sent to the Senate. The Senate assigned the bill to the Senate Judiciary committee.
  • Here is HB13-1258 history and status.
  • Fiscal note attached to HB13-1258 includes: "The existing fiscal impact of Article 29, Title 29, C.R.S., is primarily the cost to hold individuals in county jails for more time than might otherwise be required without the law. Local governments also have costs to train local officers on the requirements of the law, to track the number of ICE reports made annually, and to report statistics to the General Assembly."

Status: passed - signed into law by Gov. Hickenlooper on April 26, 2013.

 

SB13-033 - in-state tuition for illegal aliens:

HB13-1050 - purge voter registration records of all non-citizens

  • HB13-1050.
  • CAIRCO supports this bill.
  • Heard before State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Judiciary Appropriations Committee on January 30, 2013.
  • Postponed Indefinitely - killed in committee by overwhelming Democratic vote, 7 to 3. Votes to kill the bill:
    Foote Yes, Humphrey Excused, Labuda Yes, Melton Yes, Moreno Yes, Nordberg No, Scott No, Williams Yes, Salazar Yes, Ryden Yes.

HB13-1098 - Colorado Mandatory E-verify Act

This bill requires that every employer in Colorado use the federal E-Verify system to confirm that every new hire is legally eligible to work in the United States. E-Verify is free, simple to use, and highly reliable. This bill would make more jobs available to Coloradans who are struggling to make ends meet in a "recovery" where the unemployment rate is nearly 8%. This bill improves on an existing state employment verification program that was put in place by Democrat legislators in 2006 but is not reliable because it depends on easily forged paper documentation. Amnesty supporters, on the right and the left, will oppose this bill. But the issue needs to be raised.

  • HB13-1098. Rep Swalm is the prime House sponsor of the Colorado Mandatory E-verify Act. Rep Harvey is the prime Senate sponsor.
  • CAIRCO supports this bill.
  • Introduced In House - Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs on January 17, 2013.
  • Killed - Postponed Indefinitely by Democrat-controlled House Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs, February 11, 2013. 

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