Just after President Trump signed executive orders Jan. 25 to build a wall on the Mexico border and to block federal grants to “sanctuary cities,” House Democrats voiced their strong opposition to the measures.
“The border wall is offensive, useless and costly to our taxpayers who will have to foot the bill despite President Trump’s fantasy that the Mexican government will pay for it,” said Rep. Jovan Melton, D-Aurora. “The marches across the country showed us that Americans reject hateful and divisive ideas and want us to work on ways to keep families together, not tear them apart.”
“Many Colorado communities feel, as I do, that the job of local law enforcement is to protect public safety, not to carry out the work of federal immigration enforcement,” said Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton. “Colorado has lived through the ‘Show me your Papers Law’ that was passed in 2006 and repealed in 2013. We’ve seen the harmful consequences of forcing local law enforcement to do the work of immigration officials. It hurts families, destroys trust in our local police departments and harms public safety.”
“These executive orders are the exact reason I have been working on the Ralph Carr Freedom Act, which protects our state’s right to not cooperate with federal orders that violate our constitution,” continued Rep. Salazar. The bill would ensure that no state agencies have to cooperate with federal efforts to set up religious registries, internment camps, or with federal immigration enforcement.
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