Friday, July 30, 2010

Hickenlooper Campaign Sets the Record Straight on Day One

The Hickenlooper for Colorado campaign corrected Congressman Tom Tancredo today on repeated claims that Denver is a "sanctuary city."

The Denver Sheriff's Department routinely works with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on foreign-born jail inmates.

"Simply repeating a false claim doesn't make it true," Hickenlooper spokesman George Merritt said. "Denver has reported nearly 7,300 arrestees to ICE since 2006. We're going to set the record straight on day one, and turn our focus back to the success John has had creating jobs and bringing his business sense to government. Those are the issues Coloradans are concerned about."

Here are the facts on the role of Denver authorities in immigration enforcement:

* Denver is not - and never has been - a sanctuary City. The City and County of Denver complies with relevant federal and state immigration laws. The City has never adopted a "non-cooperation" policy regarding the enforcement of federal and state immigration laws, nor does the City prevent communications between local law enforcement and federal officials on immigration matters.
* Denver adheres to Senate Bill 90 (SB 90). Passed by the Colorado General Assembly in 2006. SB 90 requires state and local law enforcement officials to alert Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if they have a reasonable belief that an arrestee is illegally in the country.
* The Denver Sheriff's Department, working in conjunction with the Denver Police Department, sends info on all foreign-born County Jail inmates to ICE. It is Denver Police Department policy to send the names of undocumented foreign-born arrestees to ICE. (Source: Denver Police Manual, 104.52(3)) Since the passage of SB 90, Denver has reported close to 7300 arrestees to ICE:
o 2006: 1,351
o 2007: 1,979
o 2008: 2,088
o 2009: 1,853
o 2010: 1,793
* The Denver Police Department enforces aggravated re-entry (a federal violation) when an illegal immigrant returns after being forcibly deported or deported due to criminal charge.