Reader: Colorado Has Always Been a Sanctuary State

As discussion of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies heats up, so does the debate over whether Denver is a sanctuary city – especially now that news of Jeanette Vizguerra seeking shelter in a local church has gone national.

See Memo About Using National Guard to Find the Undocumented in Colorado

A memo sent under the name of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and shared below says that National Guard troops could be deployed in Colorado to round up immigrants. And while the spokesman for President Donald Trump has declared the document to be “not true,” the prospect of troops known in Colorado for actions like helping victims of the 2013 Lyons flood being used for such a purpose is likely to send shock waves through the community.

Read Citizens’ Responses to Mayor Hancock’s Sanctuary City Statements

Hundreds of Denver residents contacted Mayor Michael Hancock’s office following President Trump’s executive order, issued on January 25, that threatens to pull federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities that protect undocumented residents from federal immigration enforcement. Through a Colorado Open Records Act request, Westword obtained data about the number of…

Day Without Immigrants: Jeanette Vizguerra’s Sanctuary Story Goes National

Jeanette Vizguerra is well-known to Westword readers as a symbol of the fight for immigrant rights thanks to her years-long struggles to stay in this country with her four children; three of them are U.S. citizens, while the fourth is a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Now, Vizguerra is taking on the same role nationally. Media outlets ranging from Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC program to National Public Radio are covering her entry into sanctuary at Denver’s First Unitarian Church in an effort to avoid deportation.

Ten Funniest Signs From Denver’s Stand With Planned Parenthood Protest

Though the Colorado Stands with Planned Parenthood rally at Skyline Park today, February 11, was dead-ass serious, attendees didn’t fail to come up with some funny and poignant signs. The rally drew a proud feminist crowd of both men and women, young and old, to Senator Cory Gardner’s office in downtown Denver to demand that the Republican senator not support any attempts in Congress to de-fund the health-services provider.

As Immigration Raids Spread, Mayor Hancock Tries to Reassure Denver

“I know that we all went to bed and woke up with images of round-ups in this country,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said at a forum on immigration and refugees on Saturday, February 11. “We acknowledge that President Trump’s actions have wreaked havoc on this nation.” Mayor Hancock spoke before…

Rules of the Road: What’s Legal and What Isn’t for Cyclists in Colorado

This week marked the death of legislation that would have allowed cyclists to treat red lights and stop signs as yields at intersections with no oncoming traffic. Because the so-called “Idaho stop” bill failed to escape the state senate’s transportation committee, bike riders who roll past stop signs even when the route’s clear will be breaking a state law that’s already filled with plenty of oddities and quirks.

Cory Gardner Took $49.8K From Betsy DeVos and Family Before Confirming Her

Yesterday, Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick to head the Department of Education, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate only after Vice President Mike Pence cast a tie-breaking vote. As such, every “yea” was key, including the one delivered by Colorado Republican Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado, a persistent cheerleader for the selection who just happens to have benefited from the newly minted Education secretary’s largesse.

Civil-Rights Lawsuit Filed Over Treatment of Muslim-Ban Protesters at DIA

A civil-rights lawsuit and motion for a preliminary injunction have been filed in relation to protests at Denver International Airport against President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order about immigration, which bans all refugees from entering the country for 120 days, indefinitely restricts U.S. entry by Syrians, and forbids visits by citizens of seven nations (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen) for ninety days.