By Chris Richardson and Max Brooks

This week, federal authorities arrested Jose Barrera-Bolanos in Denver. He is an illegal immigrant who had already been convicted of sexually assaulting a child. That fact alone should stop every parent, grandparent and lawmaker in Colorado in their tracks.

This was not a minor offense. This was not a paperwork issue. This was a violent crime against a child. Yet this individual remained in our community long enough for federal authorities to have to track him down later. That reality raises a simple and important question. Why was someone with a serious criminal conviction not removed sooner?

The answer lies in Colorado law.

During the last decade, state lawmakers have passed a series of policies that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. These laws were marketed as compassionate and protective. In practice, they have made it harder to remove dangerous criminals from our streets, even after they have been arrested and convicted of serious crimes.
Last year, we tried to change that.

We sponsored legislation, SB25-047 “Enforcement of Federal Immigration Law”, that would have restored basic cooperation between Colorado law enforcement and federal immigration officials when dealing with criminal offenders. The bill was narrowly focused. It did not authorize random stops. It did not allow profiling. It did not target people who are working, raising families, or otherwise following the law.

It focused on criminals.

Under our bill, when someone was arrested for a crime and there was probable cause to believe they were in the country illegally, law enforcement could notify federal authorities. That is it. No roundups. No street sweeps. Just communication so violent offenders would not be quietly released back into the same communities they had already harmed.

Democrats at the Capitol rejected that bill.

Instead, current law prevents officers from sharing information in many situations, restricts cooperation in courthouses and blocks agreements that would allow dangerous offenders to be held for federal pickup. The result is predictable. Criminals are released. Federal authorities are not notified in time. Communities are left vulnerable.

The arrest in Denver shows what happens when the system fails. Federal agents eventually stepped in, but only after a child had already been victimized. Law enforcement should not have to play catch up after the damage is done.

Supporters of these policies often claim cooperation with federal immigration authorities creates fear in immigrant communities. That argument ignores the reality of cases like this one. No family feels safer knowing someone convicted of a violent crime against a child was allowed to remain in the community because of political choices made at the Capitol.

There is also a financial cost Coloradans rarely hear about. State prisons, county jails and local police departments are paying to house and supervise criminal offenders who should be transferred to federal custody. Taxpayers pick up the tab while victims and communities pay an even higher price.
Our bill also made clear what it did not do. It did not expand police authority. It did not allow stops without probable cause. It did not authorize immigration enforcement against people who had not committed crimes. Those protections were written directly into the legislation.

Colorado can be welcoming and still draw a firm line when it comes to violent crime. These goals are not in conflict. Protecting victims and removing dangerous offenders should be the bare minimum responsibility of government.

The Denver arrest should be a wake-up call. Policies passed with good intentions have real consequences when they ignore public safety. Lawmakers now have a choice. Continue defending laws that make cooperation harder, or fix a system that is failing the people it is supposed to protect.

We know which choice Colorado families expect their leaders to make.

Chris Richardson represents Colorado House District 56, covering the Aurora, Ponderosa Park, Strasburg, Burlington and Bennett communities. Max Brooks represents Colorado House District 45, covering Castle Rock, The Pinery and Castle Pines Village.