DENVER — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday removed two Colorado counties and one city from a list of "sanctuary jurisdictions defying federal immigration law" less than 24 hours after releasing the list.
The list, which was published Thursday evening, started off with 41 Colorado counties and 15 cities. By Friday morning, Weld and El Paso counties, as well as the City of Aurora, were removed from the list.
The list was compiled using a number of factors, including whether the cities or localities identified themselves as sanctuary jurisdictions, according to DHS. The agency took into account how much cities or localities complied already with federal officials enforcing immigration laws, if they had restrictions on sharing information with immigration enforcement or had any legal protections for people in the country illegally.
U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert, who represents the state's 4th Congressional District, told Denver7 on Friday that she helped remove the three Colorado entities from the list.
"I was informed that this list was coming out, and I didn't think there would be much concern here in Colorado," she said. "I was aggressively on the phone, both receiving phone calls from folks throughout the state and communicating with the administration and ensuring that we we remove these counties who are not designated as sanctuary counties or even sanctuary cities, like Aurora was listed, and I said this is a priority to get them off."
The congresswoman said the inclusion of these specific jurisdictions was based on "inaccuracies."
"I do think that this was a lot of bad data, old data, that was being looked at, but the Trump administration has admitted that if there is a wrong, they will be swift in getting that corrected," Boebert said. "We are already seeing the corrections being made in real time, and there will be more."
When asked if, based on those "inaccuracies," the Trump administration released the list preemptively, the congresswoman said no.
"I don't think that this is too quick to release it," Boebert said. "What really matters is that we get it right."
- Scripps New Groups' Lori Jane Gliha breaks down how DHS determined which Colorado cities and counties to include in its list of "sanctuary jurisdictions" in the video player below:
Politics
Colorado cities, counties react to DHS's 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list
In a statement, Weld County refuted the need to be on the list in the first place.
The Weld County commissioners have received notice that Weld County has been rightfully removed from the list of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sanctuary jurisdictions.
Weld County did not receive formal notification of any non-compliance with Federal statutes nor does the board consider Weld County to be a ‘sanctuary county’ for the purpose of protecting illegal immigrants.
In 2024, Weld County Commissioners codified Section 5-1-70 in the Weld County Code [library.municode.com], which reads: No appropriations from general fund, capital expenditure fund, special revenue funds, or proprietary funds for the specified purpose of providing emergency sheltering of illegal aliens within Weld County.
When the DHS memo was released yesterday, commissioners were in immediate contact with Representatives Lauren Boebert and Gabe Evans, who worked diligently to have Weld County removed from this list.
The Weld County Board of Commissioners thanks both Rep. Boebert and Rep. Evans for their efforts to have this matter corrected. Their work throughout the night and this morning is a testament to their commitment to Weld County residents.
The City of Aurora followed suit, saying in a statement, "As we have said many times over the last few years, the city of Aurora is not and has never been a “sanctuary city.""
According to an Aurora spokesperson, the city affirmed that it was not a sanctuary city in a vote in 2017 and again in February 2024. The spokesperson added, "The city and Aurora Police Department focus on enforcing state and local law. As we always have, we work with our federal partners and follow federal law and directives as they apply to our community. Nothing has changed.”
In El Paso County, leaders said they were "grateful for the amended designation."
There is no daylight between President Trump and El Paso County on our efforts to combat illegal immigration and hold criminals accountable in the Pikes Peak region. Coloradans are suffering from the failures of Biden’s open border policies, as well as sanctuary laws enacted by Governor Polis and his allies in the legislature.
We are grateful for the amended designation. The record now reflects the truth:
Congressman Crank, Congresswoman Boebert, Sheriff Roybal, and the El Paso County Commissioners are deeply committed to the safety and well-being of the citizens who work, live, worship, and raise their families in the Pikes Peak region.
We are working to reverse Colorado’s sanctuary laws, and we are fully collaborating with ICE Officials, as state statute allows. Together, we have provided testimony, called attention to the rising crime rate, and fortified El Paso County as anti-sanctuary.
Let us be clear, we will not pander to Denver politicians, whose political agenda has made Colorado less safe for everyone.
A spokesperson for Congresswoman Boebert told Denver7 nearly a dozen counties have sent her office "resolutions they have shared" with the Trump administration and DHS officials in order to be removed from the list. The counties are as follows:
- Logan County
- Prowers County
- Washington County
- Lincoln County
- Baca County
- Bent County
- Cheyenne County
- Kiowa County
- Kit Carson County
- Yuma County
- Morgan County
Denver7 also reached out to Colorado Governor Jared Polis about the DHS list and the jurisdictions on it. The governor's office provided the following statement:
Colorado is not a sanctuary state, despite this completely incorrect designation by DHS. I am pleased that, given the lack of specificity provided for how this designation was made, that Aurora, El Paso County, and Weld County have already been removed, and I hope that others – including the state – are soon too. Colorado prioritizes public safety, and local and state law enforcement work closely with federal law enforcement to apprehend criminals, whether they are from this country or not. We cannot comment further as DHS did not provide information as to how the incorrect determination of states, counties, and cities were made but we hope it continues to be fixed.
