CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Just weeks after Mayor Mike Johnston expressed plans to send local law enforcement to the county line to stop federal agents from enforcing President-elect Trump’s mass deportation policy, the Castle Rock Town Council has taken a strikingly different stance.
In a unanimous vote, the council passed a motion supporting potential cooperation with federal deportation efforts. Councilman Max Brooks, who initiated the motion, explained that it directs the town’s legal staff to draft a declaration supporting local law enforcement’s participation in deportations of illegal immigrants if requested by the incoming administration.
Brooks called the motion a response to what he described as “insurrectionist rhetoric” from Mayor Johnston, who had initially opposed such federal involvement. Johnston later softened his remarks in a follow-up interview with 9NEWS.
While Brooks acknowledged that the motion would not directly compel local police to act, he emphasized its symbolic importance. “It’s more of a statement,” he said. “If illegal immigrants are found in Castle Rock and a deportation order is issued, this ensures our police department understands we intend to follow that order and uphold the rule of law.”
Currently, Colorado law limits local law enforcement’s role in federal immigration enforcement. State laws such as HB 19-1124 and HB 23-1100 prohibit officers from arresting or detaining individuals based solely on their immigration status and restrict the sharing of personal immigration information with federal agencies.
Douglas County, along with other counties including El Paso, Mesa, Rio Blanco, Elbert, and Garfield, has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of these laws. They argue that the state’s restrictions on cooperation with federal immigration policies violate the Constitution, which grants the federal government authority over immigration enforcement.
State lawyers argue that federal immigration enforcement cannot compel state or local governments to participate. They maintain that state resources should not be spent on identifying or assisting federal immigration efforts, claiming Congress cannot force state employees to carry out federal tasks.
For now, state law prevents local municipalities, including conservative-led ones like Castle Rock, from cooperating with federal immigration agencies unless these laws are overturned.
Brooks, who is set to become the Colorado State Representative for District 45, said he plans to push for the repeal of SB 06-090, a law that restricts cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. He said a similar bill was introduced earlier this year by Republican lawmakers Richard Holtorf and Mark Baisley.
Related topics:
- LAPD Chief Readies to Shield Immigrants as Trump’s Deportation Plans Loom
- California Attorney General Issues New Guidelines to Safeguard Immigrant Students in Schools and Colleges
- Trump’s Deportation Plans and Their Effect on UC’s Immigrant Community
