Tracking what's destroying Colorado
A curated collection of bills, news, and resources about Colorado politics and policy
A curated collection of bills, news, and resources about Colorado politics and policy
Colorado immigration news, legislation, and policy updates affecting immigrant communities and state enforcement.
8 articles tagged with "Immigration"
In a letter to constituent Mark, Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) expresses outrage over the recent killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, blaming President Trump's "lawless, anti-immigrant agenda" for terrorizing communities and lacking oversight. She criticizes ICE for detaining legal residents and convicted criminals alike, often without criminal histories, and highlights the emotional toll on families. Pettersen touts her sponsorship of legislation requiring ICE agents to operate unmasked and in marked vehicles, her vote against additional ICE funding or authority, and her call for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's resignation or impeachment over failed oversight in Texas border operations and FEMA search-and-rescue efforts.
Colorado's newly introduced SB26-005 creates a civil cause of action allowing anyone injured during immigration enforcement to sue participants—including potentially private citizens who provide tips to ICE—if a U.S. Constitution violation is alleged. Sponsored by Democrats like Sen. Mike Weissman and Julie Gonzales, the bill ignores federal supremacy on immigration and could chill public cooperation with deportation efforts. As of January 15, 2026, it's under consideration in the Senate Judiciary Committee, part of a broader Democratic push to regulate and obstruct federal immigration actions amid Trump's mass-deportation policies.
An X video post by Angela Rose tours Fort Morgan, Colorado, focusing on the Cargill meat factory where a significant portion of workers are Somali, with most Somalis in the town employed there. She details a 2015 incident where Somali employees demanded to leave the production line in groups of 11 for prayer breaks on the clock, but the company negotiated for 2-3 at a time; unsatisfied, 200 staged a 3-day walkout, leading to firings and a discrimination lawsuit where 138 were awarded $11,500 each (totaling around $1.5 million). Rose contrasts welcoming American small businesses with what she describes as shady, unclear Somali-owned stores, and criticizes Colorado's policies like taxpayer-funded abortions and gender-affirming care as hypocritical favoritism toward certain groups. In a follow-up post, Rose updates that the Somali population estimate of 2% is outdated—from 200 people in 2005 to around 1,200 in the late 2010s, now comprising over 8-9% of Fort Morgan's population—and expresses concern for preserving the historic downtown's beauty.
In this "Mountain Minute" segment from Rocky Mountain Voice, the host highlights several Colorado headlines pointing to government overreach and fiscal burdens. Key issues include taxpayers missing out on TABOR refunds due to Gov. Jared Polis' budget keeping spending just below the cap; Denver's sanctuary city legal defense costs hitting a $2 million taxpayer-funded limit; the state rejecting Tina Peters' appeal based on Trump's federal pardon not applying to state charges; new strict methane rules for landfills raising rural costs; debates over forced electrification increasing energy expenses and grid risks; a federal freeze on childcare funds over fraud; ballooning costs for the Arkansas Valley water project; potential return of school meal taxes to the ballot; a new bill toughening penalties for child trafficking; and national shifts in vaccine policies emphasizing fewer routine shots and natural immunity.
In this X post by @mrosazza (Denver Fail), a conservative critic, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is slammed as "Rocky Mountain Mamdani" for his deep ties to Venezuela amid Colorado's "forced invasion" by migrants. The post quotes how Johnston led a 2023 coalition of mayors from cities like Denver, Chicago, Houston, LA, and New York to push for federal reforms, including faster work permits, expanded TPS for Venezuelans, and more funding for integration. It accuses these cities of being voter fraud epicenters and labels Johnston a "billionaire puppet" harming Coloradans. Accompanied by an image of Johnston linked to the Mayors Migration Council, the post from January 3, 2026, has 677 likes, 305 reposts, and sparks replies blaming Democrat corruption, calling for ICE action against gangs like Tren de Aragua, and alleging ties to NGOs and hidden money.
This X post by Joe Gebbia shares a striking chart from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) visualizing U.S. net immigration from 2001 to 2024, broken down by status: lawful permanent residents (LPR+ in cyan), nonimmigrants on temporary visas (dark blue), and other foreign nationals without legal status (red). The data reveals stark contrasts across presidencies—modest inflows under Bush (9.8M total) and Obama (7M), a dip during Trump's term (3M), and a massive surge under Biden (10.4M, dominated by 7.5M+ in the "other" category). Projections show sustained high levels through 2024, with an average of 2M annual net immigrants expected from 2024-2034, mostly legal permanent residents. Posted in response to a discussion on a controversial USCIS memo requiring re-interviews for refugees admitted 2021-2025, Gebbia's caption defends the policy as necessary cleanup from prior "abuse," sparking debates on immigration enforcement, with critics calling the chart understated and others highlighting legal vs. illegal inflows.
In Colorado, federal cuts under the Republican-led "Big Beautiful Bill" (H.R. 1), signed into law earlier in 2025, have slashed health care tax credits, forcing the state's OmniSalud program—launched a few years ago to provide free insurance to low-income undocumented immigrants—to halve its enrollment via a random lottery for 2026. Out of 12,000 eligible applicants (mostly long-term residents from Mexico working in low-wage jobs like construction and farming), only about 6,000 will keep zero-premium coverage, leaving over 5,000 to pay full price starting January. The program, funded by state resources and a Medicaid waiver, has helped detect serious conditions like cancer for some, but demand exploded after prior expansions (10,000 in 2023, 11,000 in 2024). Nonprofits like Vuela for Health report emotional tolls, with winners like a 63-year-old cancer survivor expressing relief and losers, including a 52-year-old single mother, facing financial ruin amid economic uncertainty. Federal officials, including HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and House Speaker Mike Johnson, hail the changes as prioritizing American taxpayers over incentives for illegal immigration.
On November 17, 2025, a regular guy in Douglas County, Colorado, bought an abandoned storage unit at auction for a few hundred bucks. Inside: 1.8 million counterfeit fentanyl pills and 12 kilos of fentanyl powder worth $8 million on the street – the largest fentanyl seizure in Colorado history. The stash was traced back to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel. One everyday American, zero government planning, and boom – a massive blow to the poison pouring across an open border.