Douglas County commissioners adopt resolution backing presidential immigration enforcement plan

The Douglas County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously on Jan. 14 to adopt a resolution expressing the county’s support for President Donald J. Trump’s stated immigration plan for the “safe and lawful deportation” of immigrants present in the United States without authorization. The board recorded the motion as carried 3–0.

The resolution, read into the record during the meeting, states that Douglas County "stands with President Trump in his efforts to solve America's immigration crisis," requests implementation of federal immigration policies in Colorado and Douglas County, and states that local sanctuary policies should be ended. The text of the resolution asserts that statutory, state and city policies have cost Colorado taxpayers more than $350,000,000 and describes the issue as a public-safety concern.

Commissioner George Teal, who introduced the topic, said he supports the resolution because of what he described as law‑enforcement briefings and local court cases involving noncitizen offenders. "I do support President Trump. ... deporting illegal immigrants who are conducting criminal behavior in the United States is exactly what we should be doing," Teal said during debate. Commissioner Van Winkle said the measure is intended to preserve local law enforcement’s ability to communicate with federal partners on matters such as human trafficking and drug trafficking.

Two members of the public spoke against the resolution during the meeting. Jennifer Patterson, speaking for the League of Women Voters of Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, said the League "supports a system for individuals living in the country without legal permission to earn legal status" and urged the board not to adopt a resolution that "does not address a concrete proposal and risks being misinterpreted" and that could divert scarce county resources. Patterson also stated that undocumented immigrants in Colorado have contributed "over 436,000,000" to state and local governments in payroll taxes, an amount she said would be lost under broad deportation policies.

Resident Julie Ward also urged the commissioners to reject the resolution as "too open ended" and political, saying the document contained no specifics about how Douglas County would allocate resources or whether local law enforcement would execute federal immigration enforcement.

In response to the public comments, commissioners reiterated briefings they had received from the sheriff’s office and federal task forces alleging criminal activity by individuals who are not Douglas County residents. One commissioner said the county had seen arrests and judicial proceedings connected to alleged crimes and argued that the resolution reflected a public‑safety imperative rather than pure politics.

The board moved and seconded the resolution after hearing public comment; the motion passed 3–0. The resolution as read in the meeting includes the county’s stated support for federal deportation policy, language opposing sanctuary policies, and a request that the president and federal authorities implement their immigration plans in Colorado and Douglas County.

The resolution does not specify operational changes or funding allocations for county departments. A number of speakers during and after the reading noted that local enforcement of federal immigration law is a federal responsibility and warned that local involvement could divert resources from county priorities.

The board’s action adds Douglas County to a list of local jurisdictions that have publicly aligned with federal immigration enforcement positions; the resolution text refers to other Colorado municipalities that have declared themselves nonsanctuary.

No ordinance or local enforcement change was adopted during the meeting; the action was the passage of a policy statement (resolution).