A liberal activist group in Colorado is warning sheriffs in the state that they will hold them personally liable and sue if they cooperate with President-elect Trump's mass deportations plans or with ICE officials in any way, including working to deport illegal immigrants.
In a letter to Colorado sheriffs signed by ACLU of Colorado executive director Deborah Richardson and legal director Tim MacDonald, the group warned of severe personal consequences for law enforcement officials in Colorado if they comply with any ICE requests, including ICE detainers, which often keep the agency from having to undertake dangerous arrests in public spaces.
The group compared Trump's plans for mass deportations to the Japanese internment camps of the 1940s and said law enforcement aiding in these efforts could face personal legal penalties of tens of thousands of dollars.
MacDonald and Richardson warned Colorado sheriffs that "joining with ICE or other federal officers in mass immigration raids or using the power of your office to hold people solely at ICE request will expose you and your officers to personal liability."
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"Any Colorado law enforcement officer who causes the violation of a right protected under the Colorado Constitution is subject to liability for damages and attorneys' fees including potential personal liability up to $25,000, and their employer - defined to include the elected sheriff - is generally obligated to satisfy the full amount of any uncollectible judgment," said the letter.
ACLU of Colorado also harshly criticized the Aurora Police Department for working with ICE in December to detain over a dozen immigrants in a violent home invasion and kidnapping incident linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).
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The gang members allegedly forced their way into a Venezuelan immigrant couple's apartment at the Edge at Lowry Apartments in the Denver suburbs and bound, beat, stabbed and kidnapped the victims, leaving them hospitalized. The perpetrators also allegedly stole jewelry from the victims.
MacDonald said the Aurora Police Department's raid against the TdA-linked criminals "exceeded their authority under Colorado law" and that "this type of behavior inflicts harm and distress on a vulnerable community, and risks depriving residents of their rights guaranteed under the Colorado Constitution and state law."
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"We have taken legal action against law enforcement offices that ran afoul of Colorado law, and if necessary, will do so again," said MacDonald. "We are ready to respond to violations of our neighbors' civil rights and to prevent constitutional violations of the rights of Colorado families and communities."
Roger Hudson, a city council member in nearby Castle Pines, Colorado, responded to the letter, telling Fox News Digital that "it's disappointing to me that an organization whose sole purpose has been to defend the rights of Americans has now chosen noncitizens - many of whom are in our country illegally - over the rights of hardworking American taxpayers."
"Colorado taxpayers are exhausted from working hard to foot the high bill for failed liberal policies, not just regarding immigration, but also housing, education, transportation, infrastructure, and the economy," he said, adding: "Change is coming soon, and it begins with the inauguration of President Donald Trump."
