John Fabbricatore
Denver has long been at the forefront of sanctuary policies, officially becoming a “sanctuary city” around 2013 and pioneering a trend that has transformed Colorado into a full-blown “sanctuary state”—and Coloradans are paying the price.
Legislation enacted by Democrat-dominated state lawmakers prohibits sheriffs from cooperating with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement in identifying and deporting criminal migrants. This policy shields convicted criminals from deportation, releasing them back into Colorado communities instead of adhering to federal immigration laws.
This blanket approach to sanctuary policies not only weakens public safety but imposes significant hidden costs on Coloradans. Denver’s leadership, particularly under current Mayor Michael Johnston, has championed and defended these policies, leaving taxpayers to pick up the tab.
Johnston and other pro-sanctuary officials don’t make it easy to figure out the number of criminal migrants who are convicted of serious crimes and then serve jail terms in dozens of Colorado counties and prison terms in the state’s Department of Corrections. Fortunately, though, there does exist adequate real-world data we can check. That data is contained in the records of a federal government cost-reimbursement program for local jails and state prison facilities, which the U.S. Department of Justice administers under the “State Criminal Alien Assistance Program,” or SCAAP.
Four Tough Questions for Four “Sanctuary City” Mayors
SCAAP reimburses states and counties for the costs of incarcerating criminal migrants—funds that could ease Colorado’s financial burden but remain largely untapped due to political posturing.
In 2005, Colorado received $5 million in SCAAP reimbursements, with Denver accounting for $950,665 of this total. Neighboring states such as Arizona ($14.3 million) and California ($121 million) outpaced Colorado with significantly larger reimbursements, likely due to more effective reporting of incarcerated criminal migrants.
However, Denver is missing from the most recent 2024 SCAAP reimbursement total. The city did not apply for reimbursement. » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/commentary/denvers-sanctuary-policies-leave-colorado-vulnerable-and-cost