Immigration
Cuban immigrant who won pardon from Colorado governor might be released from ICE custody
DENVER – The Cuban immigrant who won a pardon from Gov. John Hickenlooper for an armed robbery conviction that was aimed at helping his deportation case could soon be out of federal immigration custody and free to remain in the U.S.
A Department of Justice immigration judge terminated removal proceedings against Rene Lima-Marin late last week, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Continue reading
ICE arrests 63 in Denver during operation targeting ‘sanctuary cities,’ but city pushes back
DENVER – Immigration agents arrested 63 people in Denver as part of a four-day operation that netted nearly 500 arrests in cities federal officials say are “sanctuary” cities, despite Denver’s claim it isn’t a sanctuary city.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the operation, dubbed Operation “Safe City,” “focused on cities and regions where ICE deportation officers are denied access to jails and prisons to interview suspected immigration violators or jurisdictions where ICE detainers are not honored.” The four-day operation wrapped up Wednesday. Continue reading
Colorado universities host DACA renewal sessions as members of Congress push DREAM Act
DENVER – Staffers and students at the University of Colorado Law School hosted the first of two workshops Wednesday helping DACA recipients renew their eligibility on the same day that Rep. Diana DeGette again pushed for Congress to put the DREAM Act into law.
Only a handful of Dreamers showed up to the first session, which is aimed at helping those whose status is expiring before next March renew their status.
The session will run through 4 p.m. Wednesday. But there will be another session held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. next Wednesday, Sept. 27, as well.
Those eligible for renewal will have their DACA permits expire between Sept. 5 and March 5, 2018, and must apply to renew the permits before Oct. 5.
There are also events being held on the CSU campus in Fort Collins and in Greeley on the UNC campus on Wednesday. Both run until 6 p.m.
The renewal sessions came as DeGette continued her push to get the DREAM Act onto the House floor in a Denver news conference.
The legislation, which is supported by Colorado’s Democrats and several of its Republican members of Congress, would grant lawful permanent resident status to Dreamers.
Several Dreamers who have benefited from DACA were also in attendance with DeGette Wednesday.
To sign up for the Sept. 27 renewal session at CU’s Law School, click here.
Rep. Mike Coffman asks feds to consider fixes for DACA wind-down
DENVER – U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman and one of his Democratic fellow members of Congress are asking the Department of Homeland Security to give some Dreamers leeway to get their immigration statuses in order as DACA is wound-down over the next six months.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Sept. 5 that he was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program by next March, and gave only some DACA recipients only a month to apply to renew their status. Continue reading
Ingrid LaTorre will get time to make family arrangements before deportation, ICE says
DENVER – Ingrid LaTorre, the Peruvian national whose plea for a pardon from Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper was denied Thursday, will get around a month to make arrangements for her family before she is deported.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Friday to Denver7 it was working with LaTorre’s attorneys regarding her departure since she now has a final order of removal. Continue reading
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper denies pardon for undocumented immigrant Ingrid LaTorre
DENVER – Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday denied a request for a pardon from an undocumented immigrant from Peru who faces possible deportation following a conviction, saying the woman’s crime was not victimless, but also took the opportunity to plead for a congressional fix to immigration reform issues.
Ingrid Ecalada LaTorre, 33, a mother to two U.S. citizens, had asked Hickenlooper to grant her clemency before her stay of removal expires Friday.
Colorado’s Gardner, Coffman change course from pre-2014 with support of DACA legislation
DENVER – U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner signed on Tuesday for the first time to cosponsor the Dream Act, which would effectively implement DACA through legislation, on the same day that his fellow Republican member of Congress, Mike Coffman, tried to force the House to vote on a DACA extension.
After President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday morning that DACA would be rescinded, Trump and many Republicans in Congress, including those from Colorado, called for the legislative body to craft new legislation for Dreamers in the next six months. Continue reading
Hundreds of Denver students rally at Auraria Campus to protest Trump’s DACA decision
DENVER – An estimated 1,100 students in Denver walked out of class Tuesday after the Trump administration announced it was rescinding the Obama-era immigration program that has protected more than 17,000 people in Colorado from being deported.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the move Tuesday morning, and the Department of Homeland Security officially rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) minutes later. Continue reading
DACA rescinded: Colorado’s elected officials react to Trump’s immigration decision
DENVER – Reaction from Colorado’s members of Congress and other state government officials to the Trump administration’s decision to roll back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program started pouring in shortly after Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the announcement Tuesday morning.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security formally rescinded the Obama-era policy, which has protected around 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, and Sessions put the ball in Congress’ court to make a formal legislative policy. President Obama resorted to using an executive action to implement the policy after Congress failed to pass a measure. Continue reading
Colorado immigrants, lawmakers anxiously await Trump’s decision on DACA
DENVER – Gov. John Hickenlooper joined state lawmakers, immigrants and activists at the state Capitol Friday to voice support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program days ahead of President Trump’s decision on whether or not he’ll continue the program.
The morning rally by some of Colorado’s highest-profile Democrats came as the timeline for Trump’s decision was still up in the air, with Trump telling reporters a decision could come Friday or Monday. But White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed later Friday that the president would make his decision by Tuesday. Continue reading