A group is targeting for repeal Colorado’s “sanctuary statutes,” which prohibit, in specific instances, cooperation with federal authorities in enforcing immigration laws.

Advance Colorado, an organization with experience in pushing for ballot measures, said it filed the proposal in response to Colorado’s “dangerous status as a sanctuary state.”

The proposal would mandate state and local law enforcers to work with federal agencies on immigration enforcement. Specifically, it would require local authorities to cooperate with requests to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about releasing inmates, and detain the latter if they are charged with a violent crime or had been convicted with a prior felony. 

“Gov. Polis and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston have expressed their willingness to work with federal authorities to arrest criminals, but the current laws the governor signed do not give them that wiggle room, as they only allow for cooperation on federal warrants (rather than detainers), which are rare and must be issued by a judge or where there is a federal operation to catch gang members, drug or human trafficking rings, or interstate crimes,” Advance Colorado said in a news release.

“The current laws do not allow for cooperation to detain or deport murderers, rapists, armed robbers, or a host of other violent criminals.”

Advance Colorado President Michael Fields also urged lawmakers to pass a set of proposals that also seeks to repeal the “sanctuary laws” and mandates cooperation with federal authorities. 

“It shouldn’t be optional to take criminals who are here illegally out of our state; it should be mandatory,” Fields said.

Polis, in contrast to Johnston, has taken a more nuanced approach to the illegal immigration crisis. Last Friday, he urged the Trump administration to increase the number of immigration and FBI agents working out of Colorado, even as he insisted that his state is not a “sanctuary” jurisdiction.

“Both ICE and the FBI have a very small presence in our state. So, if there’s a way to increase their capability, if you’re going to send more folks to go after criminals and working in conjunction with Colorado law enforcement, that could be a part of making Colorado safer,” he said.

At issue are three laws that, broadly speaking, put Colorado under the category of “sanctuary” states: House Bill 19-1124, Senate Bill 21-131 and House Bill 23-1100. The three laws, respectively, prohibit Colorado law enforcement from complying with federal immigration detainers, prevent state agencies and law enforcement from sharing certain personal information with immigration authorities unless compelled by the courts, bar state or local entities from contracting or paying for immigration detention facilities, and prohibit local jails from holding inmates solely at the request of ICE.

A court challenge filed by Douglas county targeted the 2023 law that restricts the ability of state and local governments from making agreements with federal immigration officials over the detention of immigrants who are unlawfully staying in the country, as well as the 2019 statute that blocks local law enforcers from arresting or detaining an immigrant solely on the basis of a federal immigration detainer.

The 2019 law also prohibits probation officers from providing “personal information about an individual to federal immigration authorities.”

The lawsuit, filed in Denver District Court, said the two laws are “illegal and unconstitutional” because they violate the Colorado Constitution’s provisions on intergovernmental relationships and distribution of powers. They are also preempted by federal immigration laws and regulations, the lawsuit added. 

A judge last month dismissed the case, concluding Douglas County did not have any standing to sue the state. The county said it plans to appeal.  

Colorado found itself in the national spotlight recently when a Venezuelan gang accused of terrorizing apartment complexes in Aurora came to light. Tren de Aragua, which originated in the prisons of Venezuela, is known for targeting immigrants and is believed to be behind a spree of kidnappings, extortion and other crimes tied to immigrants from South and Central America.

Over the last two years, roughly 43,000 immigrants — mainly from South and Central America who crossed the southern border illegally — have arrived in Denver, costing the city $80 million. Separately, Polis signed a bill last year allocating $24 million to schools getting new students amid the surge of immigrants.

Reporters Ernest Luning, Noah Festenstein and Nico Brambila contributed to this article.