Immigrant Justice

The Constitution guarantees the fundamental rights of due process and equal protection to every person in this country, regardless of their immigration status.

Photo of a person at a protest holding up a green sign with the text Immigrants make America great

Immigrant Justice is one of ACLU of Colorado's strategic imperatives. Before committing to any campaign or project, ACLU of Colorado will ask how the work will further this strategic imperative.

Upholding the rights of the politically disenfranchised is vital; when the government has the power to deny legal rights and due process to one group of people it puts everyone’s rights in danger. The ACLU of Colorado works to uphold the due process and equal protection clauses embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, which apply to every “person,” and are not limited to U.S. citizens. Other immigrants’ rights issues that the ACLU of Colorado works to address include prolonged detention periods, the application of labor laws to non-citizens and violations of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of warrantless intrusions into private homes.

The Latest

Press Release
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Aurora Landlord to Pay $182,000 in Damages for Discriminating Against an Immigrant Family

The ACLU of Colorado sued Avi Schwalb, Aurora landlord, for violating state laws protecting immigrant tenants from discrimination in January 2025
Issue Areas: Immigrant Justice, Racial Justice
Court Cases: John Doe, et al. v. Schwalb, et al.
Press Release
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Federal Judge Rules ICE Violated Court Order, Requires More Oversight and Training

Judge concludes that ICE agents continued conducting unlawful warrantless arrests in Colorado despite a November 2025 preliminary injunction forbidding this conduct.
Issue Areas: Immigrant Justice, Government Transparency, Criminal Legal Reform
Court Cases: Ramirez Ovando, et al. v. Noem, et al.
News & Commentary
Protestor holding sign with text saying No Kings in America

Coloradans Constitutional Rights Remain at Risk of Violations by Federal Officials After No Kings Act Fails in Committee

No one is above the law, not even the federal government, and this bill would have closed the accountability gap that allows federal officials and law enforcement to violate Coloradans’ constitutional rights with no consequences.
Press Release
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ACLU of Colorado Demands Immediate Withdrawal of Federal Agents from Minneapolis and Other Communities After Killing of Alex Pretti

ACLU of Colorado joins ACLU national and ACLU of Minnesota in denouncing the violent, tragic, and unnecessary beating and killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Issue Areas: Immigrant Justice
Court Case
May 12, 2026

Santillon Quiroz v. Mullin, et al.

The ACLU of Colorado has joined an appeal with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, the ACLU of Oklahoma, and immigration lawyer Kelli Stump challenging the denial of a writ of habeas corpus filed on behalf of a noncitizen wrongfully detained in Oklahoma.
Court Case
Apr 07, 2025

J.P.P. v. DHS, et al.

The ACLU of Colorado filed a lawsuit to halt the illegal deportation of J.P.P., a Venezuelan asylum seeker, to El Salvador.
Court Case
May 12, 2026

Ramirez Ovando, et al. v. Noem, et al.

The ACLU of Colorado filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration to enjoin ICE from conducting warrantless arrests in Colorado without probable cause that the person is a flight risk and in the country without proper legal documentation. On November 25, 2025, a federal judge found ICE had unlawfully arrested each of the named plaintiffs, certified a class of similarly situated individuals, and enjoined ICE from arresting anyone in Colorado without a warrant without first making the probable cause findings required by law.
Court Case
Jan 09, 2026

ACLU of Colorado v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

ACLU of Colorado filed a lawsuit against ICE to obtain additional records regarding the agency’s ramp-up plans to expand immigration detention across Colorado and Wyoming. The government has since produced heavily redacted documents revealing some new information about ICE's plans.