DENVER – Colorado sheriffs and police will no longer be required to notify federal authorities when they arrest someone suspected of living illegally in the U.S., ending a policy passed seven years ago when Democrats and Republicans unified on strict immigration laws.
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday signed a bill that repeals the 2006 law, long decried by immigrant rights advocates who came to characterize the policy as a precursor to more controversial measures later adopted in Arizona and Alabama.
The repeal is among bills proposed by Democrats this year that highlight a major shift on how they view immigration policy in the state. Along with the reporting law, in 2006 Democrats also joined Republicans in passing a bill that barred those in the country illegally from receiving any public benefits, except for emergency services.
This year, Democrats are advancing a proposal that would allow driver’s licenses for immigrants in the country illegally. And students who graduated from Colorado high schools, but who don’t have legal status in the U.S., will also be eligible for in-state tuition under a bill expected to be signed Monday.
“As immigrants become more and more involved in our civic life, they are having a greater impact on elections and legislation and they are voting for politicians that support issues that are important to them,” Miriam Pena, executive director with the Colorado Progressive Coalition, said in a statement.
Those who wanted the reporting law repealed argued it made immigrants afraid of police and hesitant to come forward about crimes. They also argued that the law has become duplicative because a federal program known as “Secure Communities” now checks fingerprints during arrests to check immigration status.
Rep. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, sponsored the 2006 reporting law. He agreed that the federal fingerprinting initiative has dealt with the reporting aspect he wanted to address. But he said he doesn’t like that, in repealing everything in the reporting law, lawmakers also struck portions that forbid municipalities from passing ordinances that limited or prohibited law enforcement cooperation with immigration officials.
Harvey said he doesn’t think public opinion on immigration enforcement has changed since 2006.
“I guarantee you it’s not public opinion,” he said. “It’s a shift in the numbers in the Legislature.”
In 2006, Democrats controlled both legislative chambers, but a Republican governor was in office.
This session, Democrats are in complete power. After two years of split legislative control, with Hickenlooper in office, Democrats regained the House and retained the Senate in November.
“Elections have consequences,” Harvey continued. “Those that want to encourage more illegal behavior and encourage more illegal immigrants to come to Colorado have the power to pass legislation down here because of the numbers in the Legislature.”
Colorado sheriffs and police chiefs supported the repeal of the reporting law.
“Colorado has taken an important step toward restoring trust and dignity,” said Julien Ross, executive director of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, which had for years advocated for the law’s repeal.
