New Report: The Dangers of Colorado's Sanctuary Policies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement released an interim staff report titled, "Colorado: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies." The report focuses on Colorado, which has obstructed federal law enforcement with its sanctuary policies for years. Nonpublic documents and data obtained by the Committee and Subcommittee reveal the startling extent to which the cities of Denver and Boulder actively obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration law and shield foreign national criminals from accountability, including releasing repeat and dangerous criminals onto the streets of Denver and Boulder.

The Committee and Subcommittee's oversight exposes:

In 2026 alone, the Denver Sheriff Department (DSD) has ignored detainers for aliens with criminal charges ranging from felony assault with a deadly weapon to sexual assault on a child. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office has ignored detainers for aliens with criminal histories that include aggravated assault, child abuse, domestic violence, and bribery;
Denver's status as a sanctuary city has attracted violent criminals from around the world. In the first five months of 2026 alone, DSD detained foreign nationals with pending charges for crimes ranging from attempted murder to motor vehicle theft to strangulation. In 2026, DSD ignored detainers for aliens from countries including Venezuela, India, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Romania, Guatemala, and Somalia;
The chief prosecutors for Denver and Boulder treat illegal aliens differently than similarly situated American citizens. The policies of Denver District Attorney John Walsh and Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty ensure that prosecutors in their offices give preferential treatment to foreign nationals based solely on their immigration status—all so that criminal aliens can avoid deportation and remain in the United States indefinitely.

In just one case from 2025, Carissa "Luu" Aspnes was permanently disabled when an unlicensed, uninsured illegal alien from Venezuela ran a stop sign, hit Carissa, and caused her to slam "headfirst into a concrete barrier." In testimony to the Subcommittee in September 2026, Carissa's mother championed strong interior immigration enforcement: "If immigration enforcement is justified only after someone becomes one of the 'worst of the worst,' what happens to the American citizen who has to become that person's first catastrophic victim? Public safety cannot operate exclusively in hindsight."

Colorado's sanctuary policies threaten public safety and undermine the safe and effective enforcement of federal immigration law. The Committee will continue its oversight into sanctuary jurisdictions like Colorado that prioritize the comfort of illegal alien criminals over the safety of U.S. citizens.

Read the full interim staff report here.

###

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.