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Polis, National Guard Immigrant Plan
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has expressed concerns over a plan created by the Department of Homeland Security to use National Guard troops for immigration enforcement.
Polis spokesperson Shelby Wiemann wrote in an email that pulling guard members away from state and national duties would further strain public safety resources. Colorado has 5,500 guard members who serve under Polis’ jurisdiction, who often respond to disasters in the state.
Under the federal plan, governors would be asked to pull a combined 20,000 National Guard members to aid mass deportation efforts. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, has suggested that troops from Republican-led states could be deployed in states governed by Democrats, such as Colorado.
In an effort to maintain state sovereignty and protect undocumented locals, Colorado legislators introduced Senate Bill 276 back in April. It would bar other states from sending their National Guard troops into Colorado, and is currently awaiting Polis’ approval.
But, if Trump ordered the National Guard to act under the Insurrection Act, that would likely supersede Senate Bill 276. That’s according to Colorado Newsline.
Vizguerra Wins RFK Human Rights Award
Colorado immigration advocate Jeanette Vizguerra has won an annual Human Rights Award, while fighting her own deportation.
Vizguerra will receive an award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights nonprofit, alongside Main Governor Janet Mills and former U.S. Department of Justice pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer.
Federal agents forcibly removed Vizguerra from her place of work in March, and has been in the GEO ICE Detention Center in Aurora ever since.
Vizguerra will be unable to attend the ceremony in Washington D.C. on June 5 unless her ICE detention status changes.
In a news release responding to her receival of the award, Vizguerra said, “Recently, while detained in a detention center, I received the news that I had received this human rights award. I work independently, using my own resources. With these resources, although limited, I believe I have made a difference in the movement for social justice.”
The award includes a cash prize and additional support from the organization for the winners’ nonviolent social justice efforts. That’s according to The Denver Post.
BoCo Cyclist Fatal Hit-And-Run
Local cycling advocates are calling for improved safety on the roads, in the aftermath of a fatal hit-and-run involving a bicycle in rural Boulder County.
No arrests have been made in the incident, which happened on Sunday just before noon. Authorities say the individual was driving a blue Toyota Highlander with a Colorado license plate, DTSG89, according to The Daily Camera. The car sustained heavy front-end damage, and lost its windshield.
The name of the victim has not been made public.
It happened on 95th Street at Avocet Lane. The White Line Foundation said in a press release that the location is on a designated bike route and has a wide shoulder with marked bike lanes. The Foundation was set up in memory of Magnus White, a 17-year-old Boulder cyclist killed by a vehicle on the Diagonal Highway in July 2023.
Another organization, the Coalition for Cyclists, noted that tragic as they are, incidents like this latest hit-and-run are predictable. They called for improved infrastructure and policy to help prevent them.
Proposed Denver-Fort Collins Rail Service
Gov. Polis and his advisers are spearheading the project, which brings together the Front Range Passenger Rail District and the Denver-area Regional Transportation District, or RTD.
The joint service would initially run three times a day, potentially including stops in Louisville, Broomfield, Boulder, Longmont, Westminster and Loveland. It is estimated to cost $83 million a year, with half of the cost covered by Colorado’s fees on rental cars and oil and gas production. The other half of the cost could be sourced from RTD sales tax revenue, according to Colorado Newsline.
The public’s trust in RTD has wavered over the years. That’s in part because RTD has struggled to complete a commuter line from Denver to Boulder that voters approved more than two decades ago. Lisa Kaufmann, a senior strategic advisor to Polis, brought up this issue to members of the state’s Transportation Commission last week, saying QUOTE “I think we have a history of overpromising and not delivering rail projects in Colorado.” This project could be proof of the state’s commitment to transit and rail.
The Denver-to-Fort Collins starter service could begin as early as 2029, but a “full build” may still be decades away.
This plan is in addition to the separate mountain rail service from Denver to Granby that’s expected to kick off by the end of 2026, and could eventually extend to Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Craig.
New Abortion Clinic
Former employees of the Boulder Abortion Clinic say they hope to open a new clinic, and continue to provide abortion services.
The Boulder Abortion Clinic closed unexpectedly last month. Its founder, Dr. Warren Hern, had announced his retirement and there were talks to transition to new ownership, according to Boulder Reporting Lab. But ultimately Dr. Hern decided to shut it down.
He started the clinic in 1975, and over the years it was one of the few places in the country where women could get a late-term abortion. Boulder Reporting Lab says that over the years, tens of thousands of patients came there from out of state, and Dr. Hern became a prominent voice for protecting access to abortion care.
Nearly all of the former clinic’s team is working together to open a new facility in Boulder. It too would provide late-term abortion care. They hope to open in the near future, although there is no opening date set at this time.
