Colorado Democrats are pushing a sweeping bill that Republican lawmakers warn will block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cooperation, cost taxpayers millions, and invite federal retaliation.
The bill, introduced in April, would prohibit sheriffs from honoring ICE detainers, restrict when public employees can share immigration data with federal authorities and roll back ID requirements for in-state tuition and driver’s licenses. It would also prevent out-of-state National Guard units from operating in Colorado without the governor’s explicit permission.
“It’s a complete expansion of a sanctuary state, and we keep getting lied to multiple times, over and over again,” Republican state Rep. Ron Weinberg told the Daily Caller News Foundation, referring to Democrats who insist Colorado isn’t a sanctuary state.
Colorado House Republicans estimate the state already spends more than $544 million annually on services for illegal immigrants, including public education, Medicaid, subsidized tuition, driver’s licenses and legal defense. Weinberg said the proposal adds to that burden while stripping law enforcement of tools to protect the public.
SB25-276 just passed.
Colorado taxpayers already spend $544M a year on services for illegal immigrants — and this reckless bill will explode costs even higher. It incentivizes illegal immigration, raises fees without voter approval, and weakens public safety. Colorado can’t… pic.twitter.com/rL1bblnJHn— Colorado House Republicans (@COHouseGOP) April 29, 2025
SB25-276 just passed.
“This bill literally puts the handcuffs on police officers who are trying to work with ICE,” he said.
Democratic sponsors, like state Rep. Lorena García, frame the bill as a step toward ensuring “civil rights and constitutional rights.” But Republican state Rep. Carlos Barron, who immigrated legally from Mexico and became a U.S. citizen in 2010, called the measure an affront to every immigrant who followed the rules.
“This bill, 276, pretty much undermines the process that I went through,” Barron told the DCNF. “Making it to where the state is cemented more into a sanctuary state.”
Barron said he offered a compromise amendment to redirect a third of the spending toward public education but was shot down by Democrats, a move he considers proof of the bill’s left-wing ideological intentions. He also blasted Democratic lawmakers’ rhetoric as “ridiculous” and emblematic of “Trump derangement syndrome” after García likened Trump-era deportations to the Holocaust.
“We have been down this road before, committee. We have seen what happens when an authoritarian government decides to ignore the constitution,” García said at a Colorado House Reference Committee hearing Monday. “And that resulted in the Holocaust. And to even pretend that there is anything different, then I encourage you to pick up a history book.”
Weinberg, who is Jewish and lost relatives in the Holocaust, said the comments cheapen the severity of Nazi atrocities.
“When you compare the Holocaust to the Trump administration securing our borders, it ultimately dilutes what actually happened, and what atrocities were committed to between 11 and 12 million people worldwide in the 1930s and ’40s,” Weinberg said.
My family was murdered in the Holocaust. I immigrated to this country for the promise of freedom and opportunity. To compare federal policy to the atrocities of Nazi Germany is not only historically ignorant—it’s deeply offensive and morally wrong.#yellowstar #neveragain pic.twitter.com/DWSVC6EmmN
— Ron Weinberg (@RepWeinberg) April 29, 2025
Republican lawmakers are also warning about the practical consequences. Barron said the bill could jeopardize federal funding, noting that Colorado already had to backfill a $4 million cut after losing access to certain grants due to previous immigration-related legislation.
“We could lose federal funding,” Barron said. “And what happens when we lose federal funding? The taxpayers have to back it up.”
The bill also appears to be at odds with Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ public requests for more resources from federal immigration enforcers.
“To be clear, in Colorado we have zero tolerance for those who commit crimes — whether they’re American citizens or not,” the governor said at his State of the State address in January. “And I truly hope that President-elect Trump and Congress can work together to quickly secure the border, stop human trafficking and stop the illegal flow of guns and drugs. As a state, we welcome more federal help to detain and deport dangerous criminals.”
“I don’t think the governor is going to veto it,” Weinberg said. “But I think the Department of Justice, under Trump, should really put a magnifying glass on the state of Colorado.”
With Democrats controlling both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office, Weinberg and Barron admit their chances of stopping the bill are slim. But they hope to mobilize public pressure as the legislation moves to a final vote in the House.
“We shouldn’t be prioritizing this,” Barron said. “We’re focusing on the wrong aspect … incentivizing people to stay as an illegal immigrant in this country.”
The House is expected to vote on the bill later this month. If it passes, it heads to Polis’ desk, where national scrutiny — and possible legal action — could follow.
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