Colorado Springs City Council passed a resolution on May 13 reaffirming for the third time in 18 months that Colorado Springs is not a sanctuary city.
Councilor Roland Rainey Jr. proposed the resolution following the April 27 raid on an illegal nightclub in Colorado Springs, in which a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said 104 undocumented persons were detained and at least 18 were subject to deportation.
By declaring that Colorado Springs is a non-sanctuary city, Rainey wanted to assure taxpayers that the city’s limited resources will be used “for the benefit of our citizens, rather than on the immigration crisis;” that Colorado Springs will continue to support law enforcement, and that it will uphold the rule of law, he said.
Resolutions are not legally binding, and there is no official definition of a sanctuary city. However, the term generally refers to a jurisdiction that limits the extent to which local officials can or will share information or collaborate with federal immigration authorities.
During the citizens’ comment period on the resolution, a member of the public called it “the redundant words of hateful men,” and said debating it for a third time was a waste of time and resources.
Councilwoman Kimberly Gold, who, with Nancy Henjum, voted against the resolution, said the debate felt “like political theater.”
“We are charged to be good stewards of our community, of our very limited resources, so let’s actually do that,” said Gold. “Let’s actually look at public safety and what it means to properly finance it. Let’s not just say that we support law enforcement, but actually support law enforcement.”
Councilwoman Brandy Williams said she voted for the resolution “to reaffirm after [the nightclub raid] that we’re not, as a body, overtly spending our resources on … immigration.”
After the debate, Rainey made several appointments with members of the public to continue the dialogue about sanctuary city status and why he proposed the resolution he believes helps make Colorado Springs “the safest city in America.”
