Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) on Thursday announced that federal immigration agents are banned from city property while also mandating Denver law enforcement to protect protesters.
Johnston issued the ban via an executive order. The order mandates that Denver police and sheriff’s deputies document federal immigration officers with body cameras, give life-saving aid to someone harmed by federal officers and “to intervene in instances of force that could cause death or serious bodily injury by immigration enforcement agents,” among other provisions.
“We seek not to provoke but to protect,” Johnston said in a statement. “In a time of great fear, we are reminding Denverites that there are still those you can trust and lines you can’t cross. Our law enforcement and legal teams will stand up for civil liberties, and, if necessary, step in to protect the life and safety of our residents.
“This is our city, and we will defend the rights of every person in it,” he added.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson called the executive order “legally illiterate.”
“Enforcing federal immigration laws is a clear federal responsibility under Article I, Article II and the Supremacy Clause,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “While Mayor Johnston continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals and make Denver safe again.”
The order is symbolic, as Denver and the state of Colorado do not have the power to stop federal immigration officers from conducting operations, even in the face of the state’s sanctuary laws.
Johnston’s executive order comes amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown in Democratic-led states. His deportation agenda faced major pushback in Minnesota, after officials accused the administration of federal overreach.
This was exacerbated by the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis last month, which led to further outcry after Trump administration officials accused them of “domestic terrorism.”
Other states have acted on how local law enforcement will interact with ICE. Earlier this month, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed into law a bill banning cooperation agreements between sheriffs and ICE. Wicomico County Sheriff Michael Lewis on Wednesday accused the new law of putting “politics over public safety.”
Democratic lawmakers called for dramatic reform within DHS and for ICE. Some House Democrats backed an appropriations bill to fund DHS last month. Pretti’s death drew Democratic senators away from the backing the bill, resulting in an ongoing shutdown.
