CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — The Town of Castle Rock is doubling down on its approach to migrants. This week, the town council unanimously approved a measure by Councilmember Max Brooks to “comply and assist with” the incoming administration's mass deportation plans.
This would include enlisting Castle Rock police officers for assistance in removing recent arrivals who have entered the country illegally.
During Tuesday’s town council meeting, Councilmember Brooks called it a response to the City of Denver’s handling of recent arrivals.
“It just is a declaration to say, look, we are not going to be the ones that stand in the way of the rule of law. We expect that this will be something that the current administration, the incoming administration, will endeavor to fix for our area,” Councilmember Brooks told Denver7 on Friday.
Just two weeks ago, Mayor Mike Johnston appeared to suggest he would use Denver Police Department (DPD) force to block federal immigration officials from doing their job in response to the incoming administration’s promise to carry out mass deportations.
“More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston told Denverite in an interview. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highlands moms who came out for the migrants. And you do not want to mess with them.”
Those comments were referred to in Tuesday’s town council meeting.
“And then further, to mention that you would be willing to put 50,000 of your residents at risk to be on the county line to fight against the federal effort to remove those that are here illegally? Shame on you,” Brooks said in the meeting.
Denver7 asked Brooks if the migrant population in Castle Rock was sizable enough to warrant the declaration.
“It's a good question, and honestly, it's very difficult to tell, mostly because of the sanctuary state status that Colorado carries,” he said. “It's very difficult for us to be able to pinpoint these individuals, but we do know that if they are committing crimes, that those are individuals that we really do not want to have in our community.”
Back in April, Douglas County Commissioners filed a lawsuit against the state of Colorado and its immigration laws.
And just a few months ago, Castle Rock officials explored the possibility of suing the City of Denver over its response to migrants. That motion was also brought by Councilmember Brooks.
“Denver itself went from a $90 million carve out down to $12.5 million for their asylum seekers program. They have backtracked on their efforts to provide that, so that effort is simply at a pause status right now,” Brooks told Denver7.
Denver7 reached out to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston for a response.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the mayor said, “Denver will always remain a welcoming city that supports our neighbors, whether you were born and raised here or recently arrived.”
Meanwhile, there’s no set timeline on Castle Rock’s approval of the declaration.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.