Politics & Government

The DOC has 1052 immigrant inmates with ICE detainers, costing the prison system approximately $37 million a year. Of those, 410 are past their parole eligibility date.

Last night, during his first prime-time address before members of Congress, President Donald Trump touted his agenda, including a series of controversial immigration policies. Afterward, Astrid Silver, an undocumented immigrant, offered a Spanish-language rebuttal on behalf of the Democratic Party, and her comments about the millions “who are an integral part of this country and who constitute the values and the promise of the United States” are perfectly symbolized by Denver’s Marco Dorado. After all, his entire life is a refutation of the idea that every undocumented immigrant should immediately be shipped back to his or her native country.

On Friday, February 24, Denver dignitaries including Mayor Michael Hancock and Regional Transportation Department general manager and CEO Dave Genova gathered at the Iliff Station for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the R Line. But not everyone was there to celebrate: Low-income residents are demanding a better deal.

“There’s been frustration, there’s been some angst,” Erik Soliván acknowledged before Denver’s 45-member Commission to End Homelessness. That includes commission members struggling with “finding a reason to come to these meetings and finding a direction,” he added. “I hear you. I want to begin a new dialogue and ask all…

When Colorado Representative Susan Lontine proposed legislation to eliminate the state tax on tampons and other feminine hygiene products, she saw it as a matter of basic fairness. But she says the debate over the bill has devolved into a partisan issue whose opponents seem flat-out angry about the idea.

Much like they did during the Obama administration, angry constituents are taking to town hall meetings to air their grievances with the current president. But instead of angry tea partiers heckling Democrats, this time it’s irate Democrats yelling at Republicans. No one’s feeling the heat more in Colorado than Republican…

The Meyer Law Office, which specializes in immigration law, has published a video proving that undercover ICE agents are entering Denver courthouses to make arrests.

Senator Cory Gardner is among Republican lawmakers who thus far in 2017 haven’t scheduled any town hall meetings of the sort called for by his critics, who portray him as a virtual rubber stamp for President Trump even though he announced that he wouldn’t vote for The Donald last October. But Indivisible Front Range Resistance is among the groups that is staging a Gardner town hall in Denver tonight anyway (get details below), and Katie Farnan, one of the main organizers, says the event will go on whether the senator shows up or not.

In September 2016, when the City of Denver announced a temporary directive that would allow for ninety day expulsions of drug users — proven or suspected — from Denver’s parks, the ACLU of Colorado immediately called the directive “unconstitutional.”

Since 2015, an organization now called Free the Nipple Fort Collins has fought to remove the words “the breast or breasts of a female” from the community’s public-indecency ordinance. Now, a federal judge has issued an injunction against the city over the rule on Constitutional grounds, essentially killing it.

Recent protests over Donald Trump’s policies point up a problem: There is no easy or guaranteed way to obtain a permit for demonstrating in Denver within 24 hours of major news breaking.

Today, immigrants rights activists from the American Friends Service Committee, Mojados Unidos, DU’s Sturm College of Law and others will gather at the State Capitol to decry a bill that they consider one of the most anti-immigrant in decades.

During a recent inspection by the Denver Fire Department, the Salvation Army’s Crossroads Homeless Shelter, which houses more than 550 men per night on average, was found to be in violation of several fire codes. According to Denver Fire Department spokeswoman Melissa Taylor, the shelter on 29th Street has been…

The Presidents’ Day holiday inspired a number of political rallies at the State Capitol and Civic Center Park, and the Not My President’s Day protests against Donald Trump were just the start of the action this week.

Whatever your feelings of the current commander and chief, it’s hard to deny the flurry of protest activity ignited by President Donald Trump and his administration.

As discussion of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies heats up, so does the debate over whether Denver is a sanctuary city – especially now that news of Jeanette Vizguerra seeking shelter in a local church has gone national.

A memo sent under the name of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and shared below says that National Guard troops could be deployed in Colorado to round up immigrants. And while the spokesman for President Donald Trump has declared the document to be “not true,” the prospect of troops known in Colorado for actions like helping victims of the 2013 Lyons flood being used for such a purpose is likely to send shock waves through the community.

Hundreds of Denver residents contacted Mayor Michael Hancock’s office following President Trump’s executive order, issued on January 25, that threatens to pull federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities that protect undocumented residents from federal immigration enforcement. Through a Colorado Open Records Act request, Westword obtained data about the number of…

Jeanette Vizguerra is well-known to Westword readers as a symbol of the fight for immigrant rights thanks to her years-long struggles to stay in this country with her four children; three of them are U.S. citizens, while the fourth is a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Now, Vizguerra is taking on the same role nationally. Media outlets ranging from Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC program to National Public Radio are covering her entry into sanctuary at Denver’s First Unitarian Church in an effort to avoid deportation.

A lawsuit over the arrest of a town leader has dredged up a history of law enforcement issues in Log Lane Village, which has had difficulty hiring and retaining qualified officers.

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in politics this week, ranging from educational programming to more protests.

The park outside of Senator Cory Gardner’s office in downtown Denver has become a popular spot for protesters.