The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the state of Colorado and the city of Denver, accusing them of enacting sanctuary policies that obstruct federal immigration enforcement in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Filed on Friday in the U.S. District Court for Colorado, the complaint alleges that state and city laws undermine federal authority under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. The DOJ contends that these policies prevent local law enforcement from fully cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), thus interfering with the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws.
“The United States has well-established, preeminent, and preemptive authority to regulate immigration matters,” the lawsuit states.
Sanctuary jurisdictions generally adopt policies that limit local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE, particularly around detaining or notifying federal authorities about illegal immigrants. While proponents argue these measures build trust between immigrant communities and local governments, critics—including the DOJ—say they hinder efforts to remove dangerous individuals from the country.
The lawsuit specifically names Colorado Governor Jared Polis, the state Legislature, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser as defendants. According to the DOJ, their actions have enabled conditions that allowed criminal organizations, including the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), to establish a foothold in the state.
The DOJ highlights the gang’s alleged takeover of an apartment complex in Aurora, a suburb of Denver, as a case in point. Although some local officials have disputed the extent of the gang’s control, they acknowledged serious criminal activity and the presence of gang-affiliated individuals at the complex.
When the infamous video of the gang knocking on doors at the apartment complex went viral, Governor Polis famously denied its existence, insisting that it was “misinformation,” dismissing the story entirely.
The lawsuit marks the latest in a series of federal challenges to sanctuary policies. The DOJ has filed similar cases against jurisdictions such as Chicago and Rochester, New York.
A spokesperson for Governor Polis, Conor Cahill, stated, “Colorado is not a sanctuary state and regularly works with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.”
“If the courts say that any Colorado law is not valid, then we will follow the ruling,” Cahill added. “We are not going to comment on the merits of the lawsuit.”
The case comes amid a renewed push by Republican lawmakers to dismantle sanctuary policies in Democrat-led cities. Last month, House Republicans summoned the mayors of Denver, Boston, New York City, and Chicago to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
The mayors defended their policies, arguing that their cities are not lawless but rather “inclusive” and committed to balancing public safety with “humanitarian values.” They also reiterated calls for comprehensive immigration reform from Congress.
READ NEXT: Colorado DA Acknowledges Reality Of Venezuelan Gangs
“The mayors defended their policies, arguing that their cities are not lawless but rather “inclusive” and committed to balancing public safety with “humanitarian values.” They also reiterated calls for comprehensive immigration reform from Congress.” These cities have the largest crime rates in the entire USA. Look at Chicago, murder capital of the USA is a Sanctuary City. They should concentrate on bring crime under control before reaching out to illegal alliens making a home in their city. we all know what this is about, democrats looking at buying more votes by stopped deporations of undesireables.
COLORADO HAS BECOME A MAJOR DEM-O-RAT, LEFT-WING NUT, CESSPOOL OF CORRUPTION AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL LAWS!!! OVER THE DECADES, COLORADO BECAME A QUAGMIRE FOR MARXIST IDEOLOGY!!!!