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05_05_25_Headlines Gabrielle Mendoza
Immigration Bill
The Colorado House of Representatives has given final approval to a bill that would expand protections for immigrants in the state. The bill is back in the state Senate for possible revisions, but after that is expected to go to the governor for his signature.
The measure, Senate Bill 276, passed along party lines in a vote on Saturday. The bill further limits local governments from sharing information with federal immigration authorities, according to The Denver Post. It also seeks to make it illegal for those federal authorities to enter nonpublic areas of public buildings and jails without a warrant.
The Colorado Sun says that it is uncertain whether Governor Jared Polis will sign the measure into law.
Supporters of the bill argue that enhanced protections are necessary because of the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to deport immigrants in the U.S., often without giving them due process of law.
Republicans, who have opposed the bill all along, warn that its passage runs the risk of Donald Trump’s retribution.
DOJ Sues Colorado
Trump’s Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against state and local officials in Colorado to overturn their “sanctuary laws” that seek to protect immigrant populations.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court on Friday. It claims that Colorado and Denver’s sanctuary laws violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution and limit the effectiveness of federal immigration law enforcement.
The suit names Governor Jared Polis, state Attorney General Phil Weiser, and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, along with the Denver City Council and others, according to The Denver Post.
Among other things, the lawsuit claims that Venezuelan gang activity in Aurora’s Edge of Lowry apartments are, in the suit’s words, “the direct byproduct of the sanctuary policies pushed by the State of Colorado.”
The governor’s office issued a statement denying that Colorado is a sanctuary state, but did not comment directly on the lawsuit. Denver officials, meanwhile, said that the city, “will not be bullied or blackmailed, least of all by an administration that has little regard for the law” or for the truth.
The DOJ has filed similar suits against the cities of Chicago and Rochester, New York, according to The Colorado Sun.
2025 Legislative Session Ending
The Colorado legislature’s current session ends at the close of Wednesday.
The Colorado Sun says that in addition to the immigration bill, state lawmakers are working on House Bill 1312, which expands discrimination protections for transgender people. A contentious provision of the bill was removed last week.
It had to do with family court consequences for parents who misgender or “deadname” their trans children, meaning calling their child by the gender or name they used before transitioning, according to The Sun.
Lawmakers were unable to reach agreement on Senate Bill 5, according to Colorado Politics. That bill would have repealed a requirement that 75% of workers at a company would have to agree before unions can start collective bargaining with a company over union security. Labor leaders involved in negotiations said late Saturday that business representatives had “walked away” from a meaningful compromise.
NAACP Boulder May Return
The national office of the NAACP says it plans to appoint new leadership to the Boulder County NAACP.
The county branch said last month it would close its offices, due to unresolved conflicts with the City of Boulder.
According to Boulder Reporting Lab, the NAACP’s national office says the Boulder County branch remains active, although it suspended its entire executive committee. A national board member said their next step is finding new members.
Just last week, former NAACP Boulder County branch executive member Darren O’Connor filed a lawsuit against the City of Boulder, alleging that city officials retaliated against him for publicly criticizing Police Chief Steve Redfearn’s appointment to the Department.
CO Book Ban Law
School districts in Colorado have until this fall to develop guidelines about when and why certain books can be banned from school libraries.
That’s under a new law signed by governor Jared Polis late last week. The law restricts who is allowed to challenge a school district library’s books to the parents of a student in the district.
Colorado Newsline says the goal of the new law is to protect against a growing trend that targets certain books for removal. Littleton Democrat Lisa Cutter, who sponsored the bill, said ahead of the signing that the protections are important, because book challenges attempt to erase ideas such as multi-cultural names, experiences, and identities. Cutter added that those ideas are critical to developing an empathetic society.
Colorado Newsline says the bill passed the state Legislature, despite Republican opposition.
