Raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency that deports immigrants, could start in Aurora as soon as Thursday, January 30, according to multiple media reports. The Department of Defense recently announced that Buckley Space Force Base, a 3,000-acre former Air Force base in eastern Aurora, will be used by ICE to detain and process immigrants, which Aurora Congressman Jason Crow denounced in a statement on Wednesday, January 29.

When Trump took office on January 20, he signed executive orders halting refugee resettlement and the asylum process for ninety days. According to a White House press release from Monday, January 27, the military is deployed at the southern border, deportation flights have increased and ICE and other agencies have started "targeted operations," including one that nabbed fifty suspected Tren de Aragua gang members on Sunday, January 26.

The Trump administration is also calling out sanctuary cities, or places that supposedly refuse to work with ICE to arrest immigrants. The Department of Justice is investigating "sanctuary jurisdictions" to determine if they can face criminal charges, according to the White House.

However, Johnston doesn't feel like Denver is being singled out by the Trump administration, he said. The mayor noted that the Boston and Chicago mayors told him they've already had ICE raids in their cities. "It wasn't like [ICE] came to Denver on day one," Johnston said.

He also blamed Republican Governor Greg Abbott from Texas for sending about 43,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, to Denver and putting the city on Trump's radar in the first place.

"They've been starting [ICE] operations all across the country, and we knew that Denver became a priority because the governor of Texas decided to send 40,000 newcomers here," Johnston said. "That was not something we chose."

Is Denver a Sanctuary City?

Some congressional Republicans consider Denver a sanctuary city and still want a piece of Johnston. On Monday, January 27, Republican Congressman James Comer of Kentucky called on Johnston to testify on February 11 before the House Oversight Committee about comments in November, when Johnston said he would go to jail to stop ICE from arresting immigrants in Denver.

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Johnston Lays Out 2025 Goals for Denver, Vows to Sue Feds if Necessary to Protect Immigrants

The Denver mayor says he has "no regrets" about his support for immigrants, but says he'll work with the Trump administration to apprehend violent criminals.

By Bennito L. Kelty

January 29, 2025

Image: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston talked about immigration as he laid out his goals to improve Denver in 2025 on Wednesday, January 29.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston talked about immigration as he laid out his goals to improve Denver in 2025 on Wednesday, January 29. Bennito L. Kelty

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Denver will continue to be "a welcoming city" and support immigrants Mayor Mike Johnston said while laying out his goals to improve the city in 2025 and responding to President Donald Trump's looming threats of mass deportations.

"What we're clear about in Denver is we're not going to slow down, we're not going to turn back and we're also not going to leave anyone behind," Johnston said. "My job is to represent all the folks who live here, and we have a lot of folks who want to make sure their rights are fundamentally protected now."

Johnston announced his goals for 2025 in front of an audience today, January 29, at the Denver Public Library, which recently opened after years of renovations. On January 6, Johnston said that he met nearly all his goals for 2024, including bringing 1,000 people inside from homelessness and reducing fatal shootings — but that was overshadowed by Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman blaming Johnston for sending migrants to Aurora.

On Wednesday, Johnston laid out a handful of goals for the city: bring 2,000 people sleeping on the streets indoors while putting 2,000 people into permanent housing; create 3,000 affordable housing units; fully reopen 16th Street Mall; decrease shootings in Denver by 15 percent; connect 5,000 kids to high-quality out-of-school programming and 2,500 young adults to jobs; add 2,000 heat pumps, EV chargers and solar arrays in homes and businesses; and plant 4,500 trees in Denver.

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Although his goals touched on homelessness, climate and violent crime, among other topics, he couldn't avoid talking about his stance on deportations as President Trump uses his first two weeks in office to increase deportations and stop admitting more immigrants.

Raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency that deports immigrants, could start in Aurora as soon as Thursday, January 30, according to multiple media reports. The Department of Defense recently announced that Buckley Space Force Base, a 3,000-acre former Air Force base in eastern Aurora, will be used by ICE to detain and process immigrants, which Aurora Congressman Jason Crow denounced in a statement on Wednesday, January 29.

When Trump took office on January 20, he signed executive orders halting refugee resettlement and the asylum process for ninety days. According to a White House press release from Monday, January 27, the military is deployed at the southern border, deportation flights have increased and ICE and other agencies have started "targeted operations," including one that nabbed fifty suspected Tren de Aragua gang members on Sunday, January 26.

The Trump administration is also calling out sanctuary cities, or places that supposedly refuse to work with ICE to arrest immigrants. The Department of Justice is investigating "sanctuary jurisdictions" to determine if they can face criminal charges, according to the White House.

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However, Johnston doesn't feel like Denver is being singled out by the Trump administration, he said. The mayor noted that the Boston and Chicago mayors told him they've already had ICE raids in their cities. "It wasn't like [ICE] came to Denver on day one," Johnston said.

He also blamed Republican Governor Greg Abbott from Texas for sending about 43,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, to Denver and putting the city on Trump's radar in the first place.

"They've been starting [ICE] operations all across the country, and we knew that Denver became a priority because the governor of Texas decided to send 40,000 newcomers here," Johnston said. "That was not something we chose."

Is Denver a Sanctuary City?

Some congressional Republicans consider Denver a sanctuary city and still want a piece of Johnston. On Monday, January 27, Republican Congressman James Comer of Kentucky called on Johnston to testify on February 11 before the House Oversight Committee about comments in November, when Johnston said he would go to jail to stop ICE from arresting immigrants in Denver.

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"Denver is a sanctuary jurisdiction that refuses to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement," Comer wrote in a January 27 letter to Johnston. "Sanctuary jurisdictions and their misguided and obstructionist policies hinder the ability of federal law enforcement officers to effectuate safe arrests and remove dangerous criminals from American communities, making Americans less safe."

Johnston said on Wednesday that he's been in touch with the congressional committee to decide if he'll accept the invitation and go to Washington, D.C., in two weeks to testify. But he said that "I have no regrets" about what he said nor about how the city responded to the influx of migrants.

"I'm always open to having a conversation with Congress about what can be done on comprehensive immigration reform. We've advocated for that in the past," Johnston said. "We're trying to figure out what's the purpose of the conversation, how can we add value and is it useful for Denver residents for me to do that?"

Comer also called on the mayors of Boston, Chicago and New York to testify alongside Denver, writing in his January 27 letter to Johnston that "all four cities have suffered due to sanctuary policies."

Johnston prefers to call Denver "a welcoming city" instead of a sanctuary city. He clarified on Wednesday that the city "will collaborate with the federal government in targeting violent criminals." Earlier this month, Governor Jared Polis said the state will do the same.

Johnston said the city always collaborated with the federal government to arrest violent criminals, so "that hasn't changed. That will remain consistent."

But on Wednesday, he laid out a few bottom lines about working with ICE: Johnston said that the Denver Police Department isn't going to help ICE deport immigrants, and the city won't stand by and let ICE raid any part of Denver it wants.

"We have our own police department, and federal immigration enforcement is not their job," he said. "We won't support ICE on raids at workplaces or other places. We've communicated to the federal government that we think that makes the city less safe, not more safe."

The Department of Homeland Security, which runs ICE, lifted restrictions last week on arresting immigrants at previously off-limit spaces, including churches, hospitals and schools. During his speech, Johnston threatened to sue the federal government if ICE conducts raids at Denver churches, hospitals or schools.

"Those are Denver values, and we're going to stand by them," Johnston said. "We're not going to be bullied out of them or blackmailed out of them. We'll look to stand our ground if our residents are threatened."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5672504&forum_id=2Elisa#48602969)