“The governor has broken the trust of Colorado community members and their families, educators, coworkers, and friends,” Colorado state Sen. Julie Gonzales said in a statement.
A government workers’ union representing more than 27,000 state employees has filed a lawsuit against Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, accusing him of improperly directing the Labor Department to release the personal information of unaccompanied immigrant children to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to Colorado Newsline, the lawsuit’s supporters have since publicly alleged that Gov. Polis violated at least two state laws while sharing information with the federal government.
In a joint statement, union leaders—along with Towards Justice Executive Director David Seligman and Colorado state Sen. Julie Gonzales—characterized ongoing immigration enforcement actions as “unjust and cruel,” and demanded that the state immediately cease its support of such “reprehensible” policies.
“We steadfastly oppose the unjust and cruel ICE raids that are ripping apart our families, our communities, and our country, and we are outraged as state employees that our governor wanted us to actively support that assault on our community and make us, as state workers, accomplices in an illegal and morally reprehensible act,” said Colorado Workers for Innovative and New Solutions president Diane Byrne.
Newsline notes that the lawsuit was filed earlier this month in Denver District Court by Scott Moss, the director of the Colorado Division of Standards and Statistics within the state’s Department of Labor and Employment. Moss says that he, personally, was directed last week to produce personally-identifying information of dozens of Colorado residents who have assumed legal guardianship of unaccompanied minors with pending immigration cases.
Attorneys for the state have since said that, in light of the lawsuit, they will not comply with the Trump administration’s requests until at least June 23.
Under Colorado law, state officials are typically prohibited from sharing or disclosing non-public personal information “for the purpose[s] of investigating for, participating in, cooperating with, or assisting in federal immigration enforcement” in the absence of a statutory requirement or court order.
“The governor has broken the trust of Colorado community members and their families, educators, coworkers, and friends,” Sen. Gonzales said in a statement.
Gov. Polis, also a Democrat, has defended his decision, stating that the type of information released to the Trump administration is intended to “preven[t] the illegal exploitation and trafficking of children.”
“The decision to respond to this federal subpoena due to concerns about potential crimes against vulnerable minors was carefully considered in accordance with Colorado law, which allows for sharing information to support timely criminal investigations,” said Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for the governor’s office. “Keeping kids safe is a top priority, child exploitation is a deeply concerning issue, and has no place in our state. Complying with this federal subpoena meets the requirements laid out in state law and providing this information is in service of investigating and preventing any criminal activity, which Governor Polis is deeply committed to.”
Gonzales, for her part, expressed skepticism that the Trump administration has even the slightest interest in protecting undocumented children from harm.
“You want me to believe that ICE is, in any way, interested in protecting children from harm?” she said. “If they had been, they would have gone and gotten a warrant, they would have gone and talked to a judge.”
Sources
Immigration advocates slam Polis over ICE policy as union joins whistleblower lawsuit
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