Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D), who previously vowed to stop President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts, appears to have backed down from his sanctuary stance amid pressure from the Department of Justice.
During a Wednesday interview with KDVR, Johnston stated that Denver would cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in certain circumstances.
‘If we have someone in custody that ICE is looking for they could reach out to us and we can release them.’
In the case of illegal aliens who have committed additional crimes in the United States, Johnston said Denver would notify ICE about their scheduled release.
Yet Johnston also claimed that Denver’s hands are tied by sanctuary state law.
“The whole state is bound by our state law in this, which is pretty consistent in some of these practices like everywhere in the state, we don’t honor ICE detainers,” Johnston told KDVR. “If ICE calls and says, ‘Will you hold someone for three more days?’ That doesn’t happen in Douglas County or Yuma or in Denver. A lot of these practices are similar statewide, but we think ours finds a common-sense balance of making sure we’re not having our local police doing federal law enforcement, that’s not our job, we’re not going to do ICE’s job for them. But, if they call for information on folks we have in custody, we’ll let them know when we’re releasing them.”
ICE’s detainers request local jails hold criminal illegal aliens up to 48 hours after their scheduled release — not three days, as Johnston indicated.
“We think our values are not going to change. We think we want to be both a welcoming city, and a city that serves all of our residents,” Johnston continued. “We’re not going to be bullied or blackmailed into changing our policies but we think our policies serve everyone well right now.”
He stated that local law enforcement officials do not request immigration status when pulling over a vehicle for a traffic infraction but noted that “if we have someone in custody that ICE is looking for they could reach out to us and we can release them to them when they get released from our jails.”
Johnston’s Wednesday comments appear to be a departure from his statements in November to the Denverite. At that time, the mayor implied that he would use local law enforcement officers to create a blockade against Trump’s federal immigration agents.
“More than us having DPD [Denver Police Department] stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” he stated. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants. And you do not want to mess with them.”
In a subsequent interview, Johnston attempted to walk back the statements, claiming he had “no plan” to deploy police officers on the county line. He also noted that he planned to join Denver residents protesting Trump’s deportations.
“If I think things are happening that are illegal or immoral or un-American in our city, I would certainly protest it, and I would expect other residents would do the same,” Johnston said.
He added that he was “not afraid” of facing jail time to protect illegal aliens. However, Johnston also stated that those who commit “serious crimes like murder or rape … should be prosecuted” and deported.
Johnston’s newly declared commitment to assist ICE — at least in some cases — follows a report that Trump’s DOJ has instructed its prosecutors to investigate state and local leaders who obstruct the federal government’s deportation efforts.
A Tuesday memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove read, “Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Offices and litigating components of the Department of Justice shall investigate incidents involving any such misconduct for potential prosecution, including for obstructing federal functions,” he wrote.
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News, Immigration, Illegal immigration crisis, Immigration crisis, Denver, Colorado, Mike johnston, Donald trump, Trump, Open borders, Sanctuary cities, Sanctuary jurisdictions, Politics