A joint resolution affirming lawmakers’ “commitment to Coloradans navigating the complex United States immigration system” sparked more than three hours of debate on the House Floor Tuesday morning, reflecting the rising tensions between the immigrant community, advocates, and federal agents following the killing of two protestors in Minneapolis.

The resolution — sponsored by Sens. Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora, and Mike Weissman, D-Aurora and Reps. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, and Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora — was read in the Senate on Monday. It was met with some pushback from Republicans, particularly for its mention of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents in Minneapolis several weeks apart. Later in the day, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on a bill that would allow individuals injured during an immigration enforcement operation the ability to sue federal agents in state court.

The following day, lawmakers in the opposite chamber went back and forth on the resolution for hours, with many members speaking about their own experiences as immigrants themselves, or as children of immigrants.

The resolution condemns the actions of federal immigration agents and the Trump administration, which they say have contributed to “increased fear,
confusion, and racial profiling of Black and brown Coloradans, disproportionately impacting immigrants and African, Caribbean, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Asian communities in Colorado.”

“To the people of Colorado and to people across this country who are in mourning every day: when you see your streets militarized, when you see fear replace safety, we want you to know, we hear you, we see you,” said Joseph, who immigrated to the United States from Haiti. “Our founding fathers worked to balance power between the states and the federal government, and yet today, many of us live in terror as the federal government, precisely the Executive Branch, terrorizes our friends, our neighbours, our families… people who cross borders in search of dignity, safety, and life.”

Immigrants are “essential to the strength of Colorado,” said Ricks, who immigrated to the U.S. from Liberia as a child.

“They are workers, parents, caregivers, entrepreneurs, and neighbors, and they deserve to be treated with the same dignity and value that they give to our state.”

The federal government hasn’t passed any comprehensive immigration policy since the 1988 Amnesty Program signed into law by former President Ronald Reagan, Ricks noted.

“A pathway to citizenship, or at the very least a lawful way for people to work and live here, is long overdue,” she said. “We urge our federal delegation to do something about this. Take action.”

Rep. Carlos Barron, R-Fort Lupton, spoke about his experience as an immigrant from Mexico.

“The conversation around immigration is deeply personal to me,” he said. “I know firsthand the pride, responsibility, and contributions that immigrants bring to our community.”

However, Barron said, he couldn’t support the resolution because while there were some parts he and his caucus could agree with, other sections conflicted with their views.

“I truly believe in legal immigration, and I push that for everybody,” he said. “I’m not trying to push away immigrants, I’m trying to emphasize to them (sic) the importance of becoming a part of this great nation.”

Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Roxborough Park, said the state has imposed a number of financial burdens on Colorado taxpayers over the years to cover the costs of social programs for illegal immigrants.

“Real compassion does not mean ignoring the consequences of policy,” Bradley said. “It does not mean importing chaos and calling it kindness, and it certainly does not mean forcing working families in Colorado to absorb unlimited costs without their consent. Since 2019, this legislature has enacted bill after bill expanding taxpayer-funded benefits to people who are in this country illegally. Meanwhile, Colorado families are struggling with soaring housing costs, high energy bills, rising insurance premiums, and declining affordability.”

ICE agents killed Good and Pretti in broad daylight, said Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, and the government, “in true Orwellian fashion,” is telling Americans not to believe what they see on video.

Mabrey mentioned Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old boy from Minneapolis who he said ICE used as “bait” to detain both him and his father.

“Mark Twain said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” he said. “We are hearing the rhymes that led to the Chinese Exclusion Act in the words of our president, who has linked crime and migration by saying, ‘I believe that it is in their genes, and we’ve got a lot of bad genes in the country right now.’ That is a direct quote from the President of the United States.”

The resolution passed on a near-party-line vote, with one notable exception: Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, accidentally voted against the measure, causing an uproar among immigrant rights advocates. After a brief recess, the House reconvened and Duran apologized for her mistake, saying she would have never voted against the resolution.

In her first moment of personal privilege in her eight years as a legislator, Duran said she is the daughter of first-generation immigrants who marched with Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.

“I’m a proud Latina and proud to support all of the issues that we’ve discussed today and the issues coming forward,” she said.

A two-thirds vote would have been required to allow Duran to change her vote, and Democrats seemingly didn’t believe they would have enough Republican votes to reach that majority.