US v. Colorado et al.

On Friday, the United States filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. The target? The state of Colorado, the city of Denver, state & city officials, and the state general assembly.

The United States wants injunctive and declaratory relief regarding state and city sanctuary policies. In particular, the complaint name checks Colorado House Bill 19-1124, Senate Bill 21-131, and House Bill 23-1100 as well as Denver Executive Order No. 142, and Ordinance No. 940-17, §1, 8-28-17.

Here is the first numbered paragraph:

At the end of last year, the nation was shocked by images and videos of members of Tren de Aragua seizing control of apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado. The fact that a foreign terrorist organization could gain such a foothold in the United States of America is unacceptable. But it is the direct byproduct of the sanctuary policies pushed by the State of Colorado, and certain of its subdivisions. This is a suit to put an end to those disastrous policies and restore the supremacy of federal immigration law.

Can we just pause. First of all, I think they’re alluding to the ONE video that went viral in late August 2024, which I would argue is still summer not “the end of last year.” Second, it’s disputed whether that one video is evidence of Tren de Aragua activity at all — though residents did throw their landlord under the bus for tolerating slum-like conditions. The city’s police chief said that online characterization of the video was defamatory: “Our city has been defamed, and it has been run through the muck. And I think most of us were deeply offended by the lies that we’re told at a national level.” He expressed concern about President Trump, specifically, as a (then) candidate who “continues to propel that lie.”

The government asserts that the relief sought is appropriate given the federal government’s “well-established, preeminent, and preemptive authority to regulate immigration matters.”

-KitJ