Denver, CO — As the re-election of Donald Trump looms over immigrant communities, Colorado faces renewed threats of mass deportations and xenophobic policies designed to incite fear and tear families apart. The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) is stepping forward with strength, resilience, and action to ensure that every family in Colorado is protected.
A Community Under Threat
“Our communities are deeply concerned and feeling the weight of these threats,” shared Gladis Ibarra, Co-Executive Director of CIRC. “We are receiving an overwhelming number of calls from families searching for resources and guidance. Unfortunately, these threats are nothing new to our community, which has always been the backbone of this country yet is too often scapegoated and unjustly targeted. We plan to work together to ensure that all members of our community are protected from these heinous threats. Colorado is our home, and we are here to stay.”
The threats of mass deportations have already taken a toll for immigrant families across the state that fear the repercussions mass deportations will wreak on their families and communities. These threats jeopardize not only the safety and well-being of families but also the stability of communities across the state.
Proactive Measures to Protect Families
CIRC is taking immediate and concrete steps to safeguard immigrant communities from these threats:
- Family Preparedness Packet: CIRC is finalizing an updated version of its Family Preparedness Packet, a critical resource for families to prepare for potential deportations. This updated packet will be available soon.
- Know Your Rights (KYR) Trainings:
- CIRC is mobilizing KYR trainings across the state due to a high volume of requests for these presentations in schools and within local communities.
- A few upcoming trainings:
- In-person Spanish KYR Training: Monday, December 16th, 6-8PM at Adams City High School. Hosted in partnership with Adams 14 School District and Cultivando, with interpretation provided in English.
- Virtual KYR Training: Tuesday, December 17th at 6:00 PM via Zoom and facebook live, conducted in English with interpretation in Spanish and French.
- Colorado Rapid Response Network Relaunch: CIRC is working with partners to relaunch the Colorado Rapid Response Network hotline. This initiative includes recruiting and training volunteers, legal observers, and dispatchers to ensure that communities have rapid support in the event of deportation actions.
A Legacy of Strong Protections
Colorado has passed some of the strongest immigrant protections in the nation, from repealing harmful ‘show me your papers’ laws in 2013 to prohibiting local law enforcement from collaborating with ICE. These protections were won through community organizing efforts from the immigrant community across the state in response to harsh anti-immigrant policies passed in Colorado in the early 2000s. You can read more about the history and Denver specific immigrant protections here.
“Our state invests in keeping families together, not tearing them apart,” said Henry Sandman, Co-Executive Director of CIRC. “We will hold the line to defend the protections we’ve fought so hard to pass—protections that are currently under attack by county sheriffs who seek to undermine these laws and target vulnerable communities. These laws make our communities safer by allowing everyone, regardless of status, to participate fully and report crimes without the fear of family separation. We are committed to holding all law enforcement agencies in Colorado accountable to upholding these state laws and ensuring they serve to protect, not harm, our families. We must expand these safeguards and create a future where every Colorado family can thrive without fear.”
Standing Together in Strength and Resilience
In the face of adversity, CIRC remains unwavering in its mission to protect immigrant families. “We are not backing down,” Ibarra affirmed. “We have been through this before, and each time, we’ve emerged stronger. We will fight for every family, every child, and every member of our community and to uphold and strengthen the protections that make Colorado a safer, more inclusive state.”
CIRC’s commitment to organizing, mobilizing, and defending families is matched by its dedication to uniting communities. The coalition’s message to immigrants across Colorado is clear: “You are not alone. We stand with you.”
Data Highlights:
- According to a 2019 Migration Policy Institute Report, over 162,000 Coloradans are at risk of being torn apart due to mass deportations, heavily impacting the construction, agriculture, and food services industries in Colorado.
- Mass deportation would devastate our state and local economies. According to a recent report by the American Immigration Council the cost to deport one million immigrants is $88 billion annually, largely due to the cost of building detention camps.
- In Colorado, undocumented immigrants contributed $436.5 million in state and local taxes in 2022 – a number that would rise to $537.8 million if these taxpayers were granted work authorization.
- Nationally more than 16.7 million Americans share a home with an undocumented family member. Studies show that deportations result in severe economic losses, long-term psychological trauma for children, and destabilization of entire communities.
Join the Fight: CIRC invites the public to attend its upcoming trainings and to support its efforts to protect immigrant families to ensure that Colorado continues to be a beacon of justice and humanity.