Denver, Aurora Consider Resolutions Denouncing ICE, Law Enforcement Masks

City councils for the two biggest jurisdictions in the Denver metro reacted to the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with symbolic rebukings of the federal agency, although Denver’s may attempt to go a little further.

Good, a 37-year-old mother originally from Colorado, was shot and killed on January 7 while ICE agents were operating in Minneapolis. Video shows Good saying “I’m not mad at you” moments before agents shot her in the head as she drove forward. Protests broke out nationwide days after her death, with hundreds demonstrating in Denver. On Monday, January 12, councilmembers in Denver and Aurora discussed how to send a message to ICE, and what that message should be.

The Aurora City Council saw progressives really flex their majority for the first time on Monday by voting 6-4 in favor of a resolution stating that “ICE extrajudicially killed Renee Nicole Good.” The resolution also calls the ICE detention center in Aurora “a stain on our city, where 20 percent of residents are born outside the U.S.”

Earlier in the day, the Denver City Council Budget and Policy Committee discussed a proposal to ban law enforcement from wearing masks. While members of the committee showed general support, concerns were vocalized about whether the law would be toothless at a time when ICE seems to have impunity and the full backing of President Donald Trump.

That same day, United States Representative Joe Neguse announced that he and other members of Colorado’s Democratic congressional delegation were once again denied access to Aurora’s ICE detention center. Neguse and Congressman Jason Crow were part of a lawsuit filed in July of last year after they were denied access despite a law that Crow helped pass in 2019. The Democratic congresmembers won the lawsuit in December, only to be turned away once again.

The Aurora resolution brought up “an unmanaged illness” at the facility, reported by “advocates and detainees.” Immigrant activist Jeanette Vizguerra told Westword on Friday that when she left, she and other detainees were sick with undiagnosed illnesses.

This Is Aurora, Baby

The Aurora City Council saw more than fifty people sign up to speak, with more than two hours of comments on the anti-ICE resolution. Councilman Curtis Gardner, a former Republican who’s now an Independent, said that councilmembers “got more in emails than there are people here tonight.”

The Aurora council chamber, which holds 300 people, was packed full with more standing. The meeting went past midnight, with a familiar slate of speakers attacking the council during general public comments or advocating for a tobacco license law.

Last year, Aurora made national headlines because of exaggerated rumors about Venezuelan gangs taking over buildings. While the claim originated with an embattled landlord, former at-large Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky took the national stage to stoke the flames.

“Every so often, Aurora makes the national headlines,” resident Eric Gross said during Monday’s comment period. “The Dark Knight [movie theater] shooting, the murder of Elijah McClain, former council member Danielle Jurinsky hugging Trump as she tried to elevate her own profile by spreading racist lies to defend out-of-state slumlords.”

In November, Aurora voters flipped the council from conservative dominance to a 6-4 progressive majority. New members of the council, including Amy Wiles, Gianina Horton and at-large members Alli Jackson and Rob Andrews, were inaugurated in December. Until last night, they haven’t seen any major bills come before them. The loud, powerful audience was on their side from the start.

“This critical resolution would reassure immigrant families, like mine, that their city sees them and stands with them,” Nayda Benitez, an activist with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, said during the hearing. “Your vote affirms the welcoming values our city should represent.”

Residents also called on the council to divest from Palantir, Flock and the GEO Group, the private prison company that runs the Aurora ICE detention center. Some residents told councilmembers to shut down the detention center, too. In October, former Aurora councilmembers approved contracts with Clearview AI and LexisNexus to use artificial intelligence-powered surveillance technology, similar to Flock, which operates in Denver.

Outnumbered Conservatives Face Quiet Majority

Alison Coombs, a progressive who’s been on the council since 2019, brought the resolution forward. When councilmembers began the discussion on her proposed anti-ICE resolution, Councilwoman Stephanie Hancock, known as strongly pro-law enforcement, said, “I know we don’t have the votes to not pass it,” but questioned which constitutional standards ICE had violated.

Audience members shouted phrases like, “You should’ve listened!” Coombs agreed that “there’s been pretty extensive discussion” during public comments. Still, Coombs argued that ICE committed “unlawful arrest, seizure, search” that was “not only illegal, but also unjust.”

All four conservative councilmembers spoke in opposition. Councilwoman Francoise Bergan said the Aurora Police Department already tells ICE that APD doesn’t make immigration arrests, and that Good’s death hasn’t been proven as extrajudicial yet — to which a woman in the audience yelled, “You weren’t paying attention.” Bergan then began arguing with the audience, telling them, “I do represent 70,000 constituents in my ward that don’t necessarily agree with this.”

Only one Aurora resident appeared to speak in opposition to the resolution, starting her comments with, “I hope security is good in the room,” in reference to the loud, passionate crowd.

“ICE plays a defined and lawful role,” resident Sunny Banka said. “Aurora is a diverse city that has benefited greatly from immigrants…supporting lawful immigration and treating all residents with dignity is not incompatible with enforcing the law.”

Gardner said that “I agree that Renee Nicole Good was extrajudicially killed by an ICE agent,” but he would have voted in favor of the resolution if it specified that an ICE agent killed Good, and not ICE, which “is an institution.” He also wanted a section of the resolution to read that “the Aurora City Council opposes substantiated lawlessness and overreach by ICE agents,” but the actual resolution doesn’t have the word “substantiated.”

Councilwoman Angela Lawson, a conservative who’s been in her seat since 2023, argued that Colorado’s “sanctuary state” laws already cover the resolution’s goals. Colorado passed laws in 2019 that prohibit state employees and law enforcement from working with federal immigration enforcement, which are often called “sanctuary laws.”

Jackson responded, noting that “moving us towards sanctuary city status, that would put us out of compliance with federal grants,” but said that the resolution seeks to prevent an Aurora resident from dying at the hands of ICE, like Good.

“We just want to be preventative,” Jackson said. “We don’t want to see that happen in Aurora, and we do have legal observers on the streets every day, and ICE is in our streets every day.”

The audience applauded Jackson’s stance. The other council rookie to speak in favor of the resolution was Gianina Horton, who won a ward left behind by former progressive council member Crystal Murillo.

“This is a step of many as we move forward as the most diverse city in Colorado,” Horton said. “Our words and our values are fundamental to what we fight for.”

Horton’s short speech also drew loud applause from the audience. The council voted in favor of the resolution, 6-4, with the progressives taking control as expected.

When the vote tally was announced in favor of the resolution, a loud cheer took over the chambers, with one enthusiastic young man yelling, “This is Aurora, baby!”

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain released a statement on Tuesday, January 13, opposing the move.

“Keeping these partnerships out of the equation of public safety will leave the community more vulnerable to crime and victimization,” part of the APD chief’s statement read. “It is imperative for the community to understand the Aurora Police Department does not enforce federal immigration laws and has no authority to detain people on civil immigration detainers.”

Toothless Mask Ban in Denver?

Aurora wasn’t alone in considering how to respond to ICE at the local level. The Denver City Council approached that question with a presentation on a potential bill to ban masks on law enforcement.

Councilwomen Flor Alvidrez and Shontel Lewis presented the bill on Monday to the Budget and Policy Committee, which includes all thirteen members of the council. The measure would prohibit any law enforcement from wearing masks except in undercover, tactical or SWAT operations.

Councilwoman Jamie Torres, who represents a heavily Latino district in west Denver, asked how local law enforcement would enforce that ban on federal immigration agents backed by the White House.

“ICE is already breaking state law in conducting operations near courthouses,” Torres said. “They’re very willing to override or completely ignore local policy.”

Jon Griffin, the deputy legal counsel who answered questions for the council on Monday, explained that Denver Police would respond to reports of ICE showing up unmasked, to which Torres asked, “And do what?”

“Arrest them,” Griffin responded. “In theory.”

Torres and other councilmembers asked for Denver Police Department representatives to be present for future discussions. Alvidrez and Lewis said that DPD and the Denver Sheriff’s Office provided input on the measure, specifically the exemptions. Alvidrez said the mask ban was something they had to address because of their constituents’ concerns.

“Our constituents are looking to us, [asking] ‘What are you doing? What are you going to do?'” Alvarez said. “I’ve been getting those questions since January of last year.”

Mayor Mike Johnston was hauled to Washington, D.C., last March after comments he made in lieu of Trump’s election, when Johnston said he’ll have a “Tiananmen Square moment” against ICE agents if they try to operate in Denver. Yet ICE agents carried out operations in Denver (and Aurora) in February 2025, which came up on Monday as the “Cedar Run raid,” referring to a Denver apartment complex where ICE agents came into homes and arrested dozens.

Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer noted that the Cedar Run raid happened in her district, and DPD chose not to get involved “because it breaks trust with communities.” She worried that DPD would go and complicate a scene by trying to arrest ICE officers for wearing a mask.

“What we saw was a lot of chaos at Cedar Run with multiple federal agencies, not just ICE,” Sawyer said. “And where DPD’s presence would have made things worse.”

Still, Sawyer agreed that ICE wearing masks is “wrong.”

Other councilmembers worried the mask ban was simply toothless.

“I don’t think this would do anything in terms of stopping ICE from operating illegally,” Councilman Paul Kashmann said. “What this would do is clearly state our principles on how you behave in a situation governed by law and the Constitution.”

But Denver isn’t alone in considering an ICE mask ban. State Representative Meg Froelich, a Democrat, announced on Monday that she would introduce state legislation to ban masks on law enforcement operating in Colorado. Torres said that the question is important because masked ICE agents are likely coming to Denver at some point.

“They’re going to come here, and they’re going to be masked,” Torres said. “You don’t have to be a fortune teller to know that.”