‘Not a Sanctuary City,’ Colorado Springs Declares

Colorado Springs City Council voted 6-3 to affirm that the town is not a sanctuary city. The opposition to the resolution has surfaced accusations about it being more than political fear-mongering.

In late January, El Paso County Commissioners claimed that busloads of immigrants from the southern border of the United States were being dropped off in Colorado Springs. City leaders reported that they had heard of no such bus, nor clear evidence that migrants were being intentionally sent to them. However, they did note that roughly 23 migrant families had been aided by the Salvation Army in Colorado Springs.

However, over 40,000 migrants have been sent to Denver, which is a considerably larger number than what Colorado Springs has encountered thus far. In a post-Trump America, it feels like “illegal immigration” is one of the most blatant political buzzwords. Nevertheless, El Paso Commissioners say that they must draw a line against this supposed influx of newcomers. According to Colorado Springs city council member Dave Donelson, the city has already had to draw from its emergency funds just to accommodate its current budget (over one-third of which goes to the police force). In the eyes of the City Council, they simply cannot afford to handle a surge of new residents. The text of the resolution goes as far as to imply that providing aid to migrants would harm Colorado Springs’ status as “one of the best places to live or vacation in the United States of America.”

In a recent open city council meeting, public testimony seemed to largely oppose the passage of the resolution. Council member Michelle Talarico, one of the three who voted against it, said “I find this to be a resolution that is operating from fear. I believe that we don’t want that image as a city.” Colorado Springs residents expressed similar concerns given that the resolution is not legally binding. They felt like its an unnecessary and ill-informed political statement. One resident by the name of Patricia Reitwiesner even brought up the possibility that such a resolution would lead to suspicion of non-migrants. She states, “What legitimate tourist who might look and sound like an immigrant … would want to come here and face the possibility of perhaps having their documents checked?”

Several locations in Pueblo County, Denver, and Aurora have already been designated as sanctuaries for migrants.