The blunt force, cruelty and disturbing lack of due process employed by the Trump administration to achieve its deportation goals are leaving states scrambling to find concrete ways to protect their immigrant populations regardless of documentation status. One such effort in Colorado is Senate Bill 276, which aims not to stop federal immigration enforcement, but rather to uphold constitutional rights, reinforce privacy protections and prevent due-process violations that have become an all too frequent hallmark of the Trump era.

President Donald Trump made cracking down on immigrants with criminal histories a major campaign tenet and continues to tout surging enforcement efforts expelling them. But criminality is actually uncommon among immigrants, so the administration has been compelled to implement extraordinary measures expanding enforcement well beyond their supposed target — not only to noncriminals lacking documentation, but to virtually anyone without permanent status as a citizen such as green card holders and international students who’ve expressed views the administration doesn’t like.

The president has also been busy closing other major avenues of state-sanctioned immigration, halting the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program; terminating humanitarian parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (this order has been temporarily stayed by the courts); terminating the status of more than 900,000 individuals who received temporary parole status and work authorization through the CPB One online application; and denying the legitimate right to claim asylum through expedited removal proceedings. Simultaneously, federal funding has been cut for pro bono legal services in cases of unaccompanied minors and asylum seekers awaiting adjudication in detention centers, greatly increasing the likelihood both children and adults will be deported despite the validity of their claims.

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The consequences are devastating not only for the people swept up in deportation and removal processes, but also for the universities, schools, businesses, service organizations, and communities where immigrants play critical economic and social roles. At Spring Institute, the 45-year-old, Denver-based nonprofit I run to support community engagement and economic integration among Colorado’s diverse immigrants and refugees, our staff and program participants of all ages report being deeply afraid to go about daily activities. Pregnant women referred to us through a partnership with UCHealth are going hungry rather than signing up for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits for which they are eligible. Refugees who fled torture and abuse seeking safe haven in the U.S. are experiencing renewed trauma and fear of having legal status revoked. Children in our programs as young as kindergartners are becoming chronically absent from school, terrified of family separation. A seven-year-old went missing from school for two full weeks because her parents had both been deported and then returned listless and unable to participate.

Senate Bill 276, sponsored by state Sens. Julie Gonzales and Mike Weissman and by state Reps. Lorena Garcia and Elizabeth Velasco, puts forward common sense legal measures to prevent violations of the civil rights of Coloradans lacking legal immigration status because when we all feel secure to report crimes, seek medical care and go to school without fear of being separated from our families, it benefits the entire community. Measures in the bill include stronger data protection provisions for undocumented immigrants applying for in-state tuition and drivers licenses, as well as requirements certain public institutions — including childcare centers, schools, colleges and hospitals — provide safe spaces for students and patients unless judicial warrants are presented. The bill also further defines individuals who are considered local law enforcement and are prohibited from engaging in federal immigration enforcement activities and it prohibits the delay or denial of an individual’s release from custody based purely on a civil immigration detainer after a bond is posted unless a warrant has been presented.

The bill has passed the Senate and faces consideration in the House. As the legislative session clock runs down, Coloradans have a critical opportunity to stand up to the Trump administration’s dangerous enforcement actions. House members should expediently pass and Gov. Jared Polis should sign SB25-276.

Paula Schriefer is the president and chief executive of Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning, a Denver-based nonprofit with a mission to build a thriving intercultural community through learning, language access and advocacy. She previously served as a deputy assistant secretary for human rights at the U.S. State Department and vice president at Freedom House.