The Constitution guarantees the fundamental rights of due process and equal protection to every person in this country, regardless of their immigration status.
When Coloradoans live in fear of deportation at the hands of our local law enforcement, state officials, or by the mere act of walking out the door, our state is less safe, less healthy, and it does not represent our Colorado values. The ACLU of Colorado is committed to disrupting the deportation pipeline, ending cruel and inhumane practices at immigration detention facilities, and protecting state and local resources from being co-opted by federal immigration enforcement.
Utilizing the strengths of our entire organization, ACLU of Colorado engages litigation, policy, community outreach, and public education to protect the rights of immigrants living in our state. We are embarking on a full-scale campaign and mobilizing our activists and supporters to ensure every city, county, and district in our state respects the fundamental civil liberties and civil rights of all people, including immigrants living in our communities.
Immigration Detention Reform
In the last decade, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained and deported millions of people from the United States. Now, the federal government is pursuing a mass deportation agenda to detain and deport as many immigrants as possible; no matter costs to civil rights and family unity.
More than 1500 people are being held in prolonged detention at the for-profit GEO Facility in Aurora, Colorado. Media reports, lawsuits, and internal reviews have uncovered abuse, neglect, and substandard medical care.
We are urging local and state lawmakers to find alternatives to long-term immigrant detention and to pursue real oversight and accountability for immigrant detention facilities operating within Colorado.
Ending Cooperation between local Law Enforcement and ICE
Many Colorado families fear calling 911 during an emergency because all too often that ends up placing family members into the deportation pipeline. By allowing local law enforcement agencies to collaborate with federal immigration agents, we are deepening the mistrust in our communities, thus making us all less safe.
We are committed to working with our local law enforcement and community members to grow back trust in our emergency services system. We want to ensure that all community members have an equal opportunity to call 911 without fear of being separated from their families.
Public Education and Know Your Rights
The fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status. When the government has the power to deny these fundamental rights to one vulnerable group, everyone’s rights are at risk.
We offer educational resources and free Know Your Rights trainings to inform community members of their rights and how to protect them when dealing with law enforcement or when ICE shows up at their door.
Take Action
Know your Rights and Stay informed - Link to KYR Content
Attend one of our events in your area to show support for immigrant rights - Link to upcoming events page
Contribute to our work - Link to Donation Page
Things to know
- Colorado is home to over 550,000 immigrants, comprising of 10% of the state’s population.
- Take a Look: How Immigrants Drive the Economy in Colorado.” New American Economy. https://www.newamericaneconomy.org/locations/colorado/#taxes-&-spending-...
- Immigrant-led households in the state paid $1.2 billion in state and local taxes and held $12.9 billion in spending power in 2017.
- Take a Look: How Immigrants Drive the Economy in Colorado.” New American Economy. https://www.newamericaneconomy.org/locations/colorado/#taxes-&-spending-...
- More than 140,000 U.S. citizens in Colorado live with at least one undocumented family member.
- “Immigrants in Colorado.” American Immigration Council, May 9, 2018. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrants-colorado.
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