Immigration bill survives

Dem's vote saves measure targeting cities as sanctuaries

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, April 5, 2006

An illegal-immigration measure that sailed unopposed through the Senate found a tough crowd waiting in the House.

Rep. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, was stunned Tuesday as he watched his sanctuary measure nearly die.

A lone Democrat, Rep. Nancy Todd, of Aurora, saved Harvey's bill when she voted with Republicans on the House State Veterans & Military Affairs Committee.

"It makes the statement that we believe every city should play by the same rules," Todd said.

Senate Bill 90 would prohibit cities from adopting sanctuary policies that prevent employees from reporting suspected illegal immigrants to federal authorities. Cities that violate such policies would be ineligible for state grants.

The bill also requires police who are detaining suspected criminals to alert the feds if they believe the person might be here illegally.

Harvey said Durango has an official sanctuary policy, and Denver, through executive order, issued something similar.

The committee exempted those involved in domestic-abuse situations because they feared victims would not contact the police if they feared deportation.

Critics such as Rep. Fran Coleman, D-Denver, said the bill doesn't do anything.

She pointed to testimony from Chris Olsen, Englewood's public-safety manager, and former Boulder County Sheriff George Epp, now director of County Sheriffs of Colorado.

The law enforcement officials told the committee that police already call Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they detain suspected illegal immigrants. But ICE, with its own budget problems, can't always respond, they said.

"ICE will call back and say, 'We can't handle it, let 'em go,' " Olsen said.

In addition, he said officers are worried about making the determination of whether a person arrested in connection with a crime might be in the country illegally.

Olsen said that the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police, of which he is a board member, opposed the bill when it was in the Senate, but is now trying to help make it workable because it appears the bill will pass.

That drew a lecture from Rep. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs.

"Your prior opposition to all of these other bills has been very disturbing to me and quite a few others, including the citizens of Colorado," Schultheis said. "Something has got to be done."

Schultheis also said that if local governments put bond measures on the ballot to pay for extra police to deal with illegal immigrants, "I have no doubt in my mind the people would rally like crazy for that."