Colorado lawmakers want to prevent local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration detention operations.
If passed, House Bill 1100 would prevent state and local governments in Colorado from contracting with privately-run immigration detention facilities.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, federal immigration officials often detain immigrants to ensure they meet their court dates for immigration hearings. Many of the detention centers where the government holds migrants are run by third-party private companies.
Immigration detentions, or "civil detentions," are not considered punishment for criminal activity, however. Bill sponsor Rep. Lorena Garcia said detaining people for civil offenses does not align with Colorado’s values.
“We're going to be able to demonstrate that here as a state, we can still have respect for each other no matter where you're from, no matter how you got here,” Garcia said. “I go back to the idea of, why in the world are we allowing people to be caged because of a civil offense, in this case, when we don't do it in any other circumstance?”
Federal officials often request the help of local law enforcement in detaining immigrants. Garcia hopes barring state and local government contracts with private detention companies will prevent federal immigration operations from relying on local law enforcement. Local authorities can then focus their resources within their communities.
The new bill would also outlaw the sale of government property to private detention companies. Offering any financial incentives to those companies would also be prohibited. But Garcia said the bill does not prevent federal immigration authorities from working in Colorado or from using publicly-run detention centers.
The bill was approved by the Judiciary Committee this week and now moves on to a preliminary House vote.
