Fort Collins balks at sanctuary city listing
Fort Collins is known for making lists, usually of the “best place” variety.
But sometimes it gets on lists that don’t necessarily fit its image or reality, such as lists of “sanctuary cities.”
What a sanctuary city is actually is not clearly defined. Many sources I checked said the term has no legal meaning.
But generally speaking, it’s applied to a local government that has policies or procedures that shelter illegal immigrants. Such policies might include not prosecuting someone solely for violating federal immigration law.
It also might mean not detaining undocumented immigrants who are not accused of serious crimes so they can be picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Fort Collins has never taken an action to declare itself a sanctuary city, officials say. Police services policy states city officials must cooperate with the enforcement of federal immigration law.
However, police policy also states: “The fact that an individual is suspected of being an undocumented alien should generally not be the sole basis for contact, detention or arrest.”
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How Fort Collins came to be listed as a sanctuary city on various websites is not clear. In 2005, the City Council considered but rejected a proposed ordinance that prohibited city employees from making inquiries into a person’s immigration status.
The following year, the council approved a resolution supporting a state law that stopped local governments from passing ordinances that would prohibit police and other city employees from cooperating with federal officials regarding immigration.
In fall 2015, city officials sent letters to websites they were aware of that listed Fort Collins as a sanctuary city and asked to be removed.
Also not clear is the criteria used by these sites to determine whether a city is a sanctuary city. Lists on websites kept by organizations that support stricter enforcement of immigration law appear to be based on ICE statistics.
On some sites, Larimer County is listed as a sanctuary: I’m sure that’s news to Sheriff Justin Smith, who told the Coloradoan this week his office shares information on any person it arrests who is not a legal resident.
Whether that person gets deported is up to ICE: It usually doesn’t happen, Smith said.
ICE concentrates its efforts on identifying, arresting and deporting convicted criminals. In 2015, it deported 139,368 people, with 81 percent considered “priority one,” according to its website.
The election of Donald Trump to the presidency has set off a flurry of worry in many sectors, including immigrants. They fear the consequences of Trump’s campaign promise of mass deportations.
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Leaders in some self-identifying sanctuary cities such as New York City, Los Angeles and Denver have already said they will not cooperate with federal efforts to deport undocumented residents, whatever those efforts turn out to be.
Fort Collins officials have not made such statements. And since the city doesn’t consider itself a sanctuary city, they are not likely to do so.
However, council members have consistently said they support diversity and want the city to be a welcoming place for all people. Members were responding to concerns raised by residents who said they felt unsafe in the wake of the election.
While not specifically addressing immigration, Mayor Wade Troxell said the city has recognized that “all people matter” in several ways.
“We are an open, inclusive and friendly community,” Troxell said. “And the bottom line is, it starts with each and every one of us.”
Kevin Duggan is a Coloradoan senior reporter. Follow him on Twitter @coloradoan_dugg and on Facebook at Coloradoan Kevin Duggan.
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