Denver, Aurora police say they will not start enforcing federal immigration laws

Colorado cities respond to immigrants’ concerns about Donald Trump’s election

Colorado’s two largest police departments have issued statements in the wake of Donald Trump’s election to tell residents they will not enforce federal immigration laws.

Since the Republican’s election, immigrants in Denver, Aurora and other Colorado cities have raised concerns about their futures. Trump campaigned on the promise that he would deport millions of undocumented immigrants and would build a wall along the border with Mexico.

About 109,000 people living in Denver, or 16 percent of the city’s population, were born outside the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In Aurora, 20 percent of the city’s 359,407 residents are foreign born, the Census Bureau’s 2015 statistics show.

The Denver Police Department’s public information office issued a brief statement, saying, “Immigration enforcement is handled at the federal level — not by local law enforcement. The Denver Police Department has not participated in those enforcement efforts in the past and will not be involved in the future.”

And Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz posted a statement on the department’s Facebook page to assure residents his policy on immigration enforcement has not changed. The city’s responsibility is to provide services to all residents, he said.

“Officers will not enforce, investigate or detain individuals based on their immigration status,” Metz wrote. “Our policy is not based on politics or personal philosophy. It is based on public safety. It is our goal to ensure that all individuals within Aurora feel safe in reporting emergencies and working closely with the APD to ensure our city remains a safe place for all.”

The Denver Sheriff Department does not honor immigration detainers by federal authorities that require local jails to hold people for up to six days after they otherwise would be released.