DENVER — Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is celebrating another win over the Trump administration after a federal judge dismissed President Trump's claims that the so-called "sanctuary laws" in Denver and Colorado violate the U.S. Constitution. These laws limit law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
This afternoon, Denver7 anchor Shannon Ogden went to the attorney general's office to discuss the ruling.
Attorney General Weiser said the lawsuit's dismissal sends a clear message.
"Colorado gets to make a choice: how will our law enforcement operate in Colorado. The federal government, they don't get to make that choice for us," Weiser said.
▶️ Watch part of Denver7's Shannon Ogden's conversation with Attorney General Phil Weiser here
"I take no satisfaction in having to keep defending the constitution against a lawless and bullying administration," Weiser added.
Ogden asked Weiser if he ever imagined he would spend this much time suing an administration.
"No! When I had two years under the first Trump administration... we had a total of only 19 cases. I'm now at 63 cases. I'm just over a year in," Weiser said.
A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit accusing Colorado and Denver of interfering with the enforcement of immigration laws.
The lawsuit claimed the state and its most populous city passed “sanctuary laws” violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. At issue were four state laws and two Denver laws that limit the use of resources for immigration enforcement and protect the rights and personal information of immigrants.
U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher said the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 1997 case that the federal government can't “dragoon” state officers into carrying out federal law.
Gallagher granted requests from Colorado and Denver officials to dismiss the lawsuit, concluding that “Colorado and Denver have the right to refuse to expend their resources to implement a federal regulatory program.”
The Department of Justice didn't immediately return a request for comment.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston welcomed the ruling.
“Today's ruling makes clear that we cannot be required to use local resources to enforce federal policies,” Johnston said.
The Department of Justice filed similar lawsuits targeting state or city policies seen as interfering with immigration enforcement, including those in Los Angeles, New York City, and Minnesota and cities there. A federal judge dismissed a case challenging Chicago's laws last year.
There is no strict definition for sanctuary policies or sanctuary cities, but the terms generally describe limited local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE enforces U.S. immigration laws nationwide but seeks state and local help, particularly for large-scale deportations, and requests that police and sheriffs alert it about people it wants to deport and hold them until federal officers take custody.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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