DENVER — The Denver City Council on Tuesday approved a $2 million contract with a law firm that will represent the city during a congressional inquiry into Denver’s so-called “sanctuary city” status.
In January, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced an investigation into four "sanctuary cities"—Denver, Boston, Chicago, and New York City—and invited their mayors to testify during a hearing. The committee alleged that the cities "take it upon themselves to decide what laws they will and will not abide by all to shield removable aliens, especially criminals, from federal law enforcement."
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston agreed to testify earlier this month, and the hearing is scheduled for March 5.
- Watch our previous coverage in the video player below
On Tuesday, the Denver City Council hired Washington D.C.-based law firm Covington and Burling, LLP. The contract is for legal services rendered from Feb. 1 through Jan. 31, 2026.
According to the contract, the city has agreed to pay up to $2 million for services. A letter from Covington and Burling, LLP. to the city outlines the law firm's "blended, all-attorney rate" of $1,000 for all partners, counsel and associates, as well as a $595 "blended rate" for all professional staff. The law firm also agreed to not charge the city for the first 50 hours of partner time.
The letter states that both parties "mutually agree that investigative activity is likely to continue following this hearing." If that activity results in fees that exceed $2 million, the city must "submit a request for additional funding to the City Counsel promptly with a request for an expedited approval process."
"The firm’s performance of any such additional work shall be in reliance on a good-faith expectation that any such approval will be effected," the letter continues.
Dana Remus will serve as lead attorney in the matter, according to city documents. Before joining Covington and Burling, she served as assistant to the president and White House counsel for former President Joe Biden. She previously acted as general counsel for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign, as well as deputy assistant to the president and deputy counsel for ethics to the Obama administration.
When asked for a statement about the contract, the Denver City Attorney's Office said, "The City regularly enters into contracts with outside counsel to provide specialized legal expertise or to address a need for additional capacity. This legal counsel allows the city of Denver’s leadership to focus on delivering the high-quality services residents expect and deserve while navigating complex legal matters, including federal government actions."
- Read the full contract below
In a January letter to Mayor Johnston, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY)—citing a Jan. 2025 New York Times article—defined sanctuary jurisdictions as "states, counties or cities that put some limits on how much they are willing to cooperate with federal agencies’ efforts to deport” people in the U.S. illegally.
The letter classifies Denver specifically as a sanctuary city due to a bill signed into Colorado law during the 2019 legislative session that claims to provide "clarification of the authority of criminal justice officials with respect to the enforcement of certain federal civil laws."
Denver has never officially called itself a sanctuary city. It was given that title under President Donald Trump's first administration.
In 2017, the first Trump administration asked for "sanctuary cities," including Denver, to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its crackdown on immigration. In response, then-Mayor Michael Hancock signed an executive order that created a legal defense fund for people threatened with or in removal proceedings and ordered the Denver Sheriff Department, which operates the city's jail, not to seek federal funding that required the department to gather and release information about a person’s immigration or citizenship status.
In that order, Hancock called Denver a "safe and welcoming city" but never used the word "sanctuary."
Politics
House committee launches investigation into 'sanctuary cities,' including Denver
Freshman Rep. Gabe Evans, the Republican representative of Colorado's 8th Congressional District, was granted permission to sit in for questioning during the hearing. Rep. Lauren Boebert, the firebrand Republican who represents Colorado's 4th Congressional District and is a member of the House Oversight Committee, will also get a chance to question Johnston.
Denver7's Óscar Contreras contributed to this report.
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