Unaccompanied immigrant children and the Coloradans who offered to house them are at the center of a rift between Gov. Jared Polis and a top official at the state Department of Labor and Employment.
In an ongoing lawsuit against the governor, the head of the state’s Division of Labor Standards and Statistics is arguing that it’s wrong for Polis to make him turn over addresses, telephone numbers and other personal information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE subpoenaed the information about the sponsors of unaccompanied immigrant children and Polis decided the agency would comply.
ICE named 35 people in its subpoena. Court filings in the whistleblower case reveal that, based on the state labor department’s research, there are six sponsors of unaccompanied minor immigrants who have personal information contained in the unemployment insurance division. It’s not clear what other records would be turned over.
The case has raised questions about how many unaccompanied immigrant children are in Colorado, how they arrived and who is taking care of them.
The federal government defines unaccompanied immigrant children, usually teenagers, as those under 18 who entered the country without a parent or guardian.
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