Letter addressing immigration failures to Governor Polis

Jan 31

January 31, 2024

Dear Governor Polis:

We have read your recent letter to the Biden Administration and Congress wherein you ask them to "take action to secure our border," a sentiment with which we wholeheartedly agree. The effects of the open border have become a state issue, overwhelming local government resources at the expense of Colorado taxpayers.

The request to expand FEMA resources to include our rural communities, made by Colorado’s congressional delegation, requires furthering our deficit to solve bad policies. This would only add to the already overwhelming migrant crisis.

Each year, $200 million is allocated to the migrant crisis leaving Colorado taxpayers with no say in how their hard-earned money is spent. This total does not even include costs associated with jailing and policing, and the influx of migrants shows no signs of subsiding. Therefore, Coloradans feel burdened and marginalized by the consequences of your failure to properly prioritize as their funds are constantly misappropriated.

Our Denver schools face a shortfall of $17.5 million in funding due to the continuous influx of migrants in the Denver area. The Denver School Board has resorted to pulling from reserve funding to supplement Spanish-speaking teachers and staff. Surrounding schools experience spillover effects as they gain more migrant students, resulting in an active loss of resources for their current students.

Denver Health is experiencing an immense burden on its financial resources due to the flow of migrants into the state. They have resorted to putting beds out of operation due to the lack of sufficient funding for staff and maintenance upkeep. Last year alone, Denver Health incurred $10 million in unpaid care expenses, attributed to visits by undocumented patients to its facilities.

You signed the sanctuary laws that prompted the influx of migrants in Colorado.

This is nothing more than election year antics. While the federal government’s open border policy is responsible for the entry of illegal immigrants into our country, the legislation you championed and signed into law has created a sanctuary state.

These laws are destructive to Colorado and are responsible for a flood of illegal immigrants coming to Colorado. The General Assembly must repeal the following four laws to reduce the migrant crisis here in Colorado.

HB19-1124 - This piece of legislation resulted in criminals being released back into our neighborhoods. Consequently, Colorado’s law enforcement officials could no longer hold illegal immigrants based solely on a hold request from ICE.

HB21-1194 - This determined that legal expenses related to immigration proceedings of illegal immigrants should be borne by Colorado taxpayers. This is not an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. It is not our citizens’ responsibility to fund migrants’ legal defenses.

HB23-1100 - This bill prohibits local law enforcement from working with ICE when illegal immigrants are detained. This disregards the safety of Colorado citizens, which should be your main priority. We must ensure our police officers are empowered to effectively do their job. Prohibiting law enforcement from complying with federal immigration laws obstructs justice.

SB19-030 - This bill allows an undocumented person to seek dismissal of a case following guilty pleas, provided they were not informed beforehand about the potential adverse effects on their immigration status.

Each of these laws, passed under your administration and signed by you, Governor, created the sanctuary state that caused the unmanageable overflow of illegal immigrants into our state. We urge you to work with Republican legislators in undoing the sanctuary status created by these laws.

Furthermore, we call on you to join the governors from other states, such as Idaho, Iowa, Florida, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi, and West Virginia, who have sent National Guard soldiers to Texas to help secure the border!