DENVER — The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has launched an investigation into four "sanctuary cities," including Denver.
In its announcement, the committee said the four cities—Denver, Boston, Chicago, and New York City—"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."
“On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump took decisive actions to restore the rule of law with respect to immigration enforcement,” said Chairman James Comer (R-KY) in a statement. “In addition to the efforts of the Trump Administration to ensure federal immigration enforcement can proceed unimpeded, Congress must determine whether further legislation is necessary to enhance border security and public safety. It is imperative that federal immigration law is enforced and that criminal aliens are swiftly removed from our communities.”
Comer has called on Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to testify during a hearing on Feb. 11. The chairman also asked the mayor to provide a list of documents and communications, including "all documents and communications among or between any official, employee, contractor, or agent of the City and County of Denver related to the city’s sanctuary status."
In response, Johnston issued a statement saying, “The most helpful thing Congressional Republicans could do right now is fix our broken immigration system. While they work on that, we will focus on running the cities that manage the consequences of their failure to act.”
- Read the full letter below
In his letter, Comer—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."
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In January, Johnston laid out a four-part plan for how Denver will respond to the mass deportations Trump has promised during his second administration. The mayor told Denver7 that his four-part plan ensures the city follows the law and upholds its values.
According to Johnston, the city will cooperate with ICE and other federal law enforcement when it comes to violent criminals. He said city officials will provide basic information, such as when someone who ICE is interested in will be released from jail.
"They could pick him up at that time,” said Johnston. “But we don't honor detainers. We won't hold someone for ICE."
Johnston said when it comes to non-violent immigrants, Denver police will only provide limited support to ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies. According to the mayor’s plan, this support “will be determined on a case-by-case basis, but city police will only respond to requests to protect public safety and keep the peace.”
Johnston said Denver PD will not be involved in arresting non-criminal immigrants.
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The final part of the mayor's plan focuses on helping children whose parents are arrested by ensuring they have a safe place to go or are reunited with other family members.
"We're hoping that that doesn't come to pass, but we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, which is kids and families will be separated. We will have kids without parents who need to find their way into foster care or to connected families or back to home countries, in some cases, home countries that won't take them back,” said Johnston.
Johnston said the city is prepared to partner with community groups to make sure immigrants understand their rights and know where to get resources and support.
Denver7's Brandon Richard contributed to this story.
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