Colorado County Sues State For Banning Local Enforcement Of Immigration Laws

Colorado’s sixth-most populous county is suing the state over a pair of laws that prohibit local governments from assisting federal officials with immigration enforcement. On Monday, commissioners for Douglas County, an affluent suburban area located between Denver and Colorado Springs, gave a press conference with community leaders and local law enforcement to announce the new lawsuit.

“Federal policies along the southern border have resulted in an unlimited string of illegal immigrants into our communities,” said Douglas County Commissioner Chairman George Teal, who opened the press conference. “We see it as the duty of the county to push back against these state laws that prohibit us from working with federal authorities to keep Douglas County and our communities safe.”

The lawsuit filed Monday highlights two pieces of legislation passed by far-left Democrats: House Bill 19-1124, passed in 2019, and House Bill 23-1100, passed in 2023. The first bars local law enforcement from arresting illegal migrants and holding them in custody based solely on their violation of federal immigration laws. The second law prohibits local cooperation with federal authorities by detaining illegal migrants in various facilities...