ACLU, Police Agree On Denver's Sanctuary City Policy
By Stan Bush
DENVER (CBS4)- Some American Civil Liberties Union supporters find themselves in an awkward place – agreeing with the Denver Police Department. At least when it comes to the policy to not aid federal authorities arresting undocumented immigrants.
On Tuesday, ACLU members plan to meet with Denver Police Chief Robert White where they're expected to praise his work and hope to build community support for the policy.
"You're already doing a lot of these things that we as citizens are really in line with our values," says ACLU supporter John Larson. "What's on the books already looks promising and this is a way to cement community support."
Denver police released a statement calling immigration enforcement beyond their legal scope: Immigration enforcement is handled at the federal level – not by local law enforcement. The Denver Police Department has not participated in those enforcement efforts in the past and will not be involved in the future.
Under President Donald Trump, the Homeland Security Administration has expanded its deportation orders to include all undocumented residents with criminal convictions despite the level of the crime.
Under President Barack Obama the priority was violent offenders.
Trump has threatened to pull federal funding from cities who's law enforcement are not ordered to aid federal authorities with deportations, declaring them "Sanctuary Cities."
While some cities have adopted the moniker, Denver has not while still not obeying with the order.
Stan Bush is a general assignment reporter at CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 10. Read his bio and follow him on Twitter @StanBushTV.