Angel families tell House Judiciary committee sanctuary policies cost lives, urge stricter enforcement

Relatives of people killed or severely injured in crashes urged the House Committee on the Judiciary to change immigration- and enforcement-related policies, saying sanctuary jurisdictions allow undocumented, unlicensed drivers to remain in communities and put residents at risk.

A public commenter who identified herself as the mother of a passenger named Carissa described her daughter’s condition after a hit-and-run crash: "Now, she's minimally conscious, nonverbal, is wheelchair bound, and eats through a feeding tube." She said medical bills are "well into seven figures" and that the driver — whom she characterized as an "unlicensed, uninsured illegal alien" — fled the scene. The speaker linked the crash to local sanctuary practices and said those policies "carry real-world consequences."

Jennifer Heilmann, who identified herself as an "angel mom" from Minnesota, recounted the July 2025 deaths of her son Brady Heilmann and his girlfriend, saying they were struck by a driver she described as a repeat DUI offender who had allegedly failed to install a required ignition interlock and had never held a driver's license. "This entire tragedy was completely preventable," Heilmann said, arguing that repeated non‑enforcement and sanctuary protections allowed the driver to remain in the country and ultimately cause the fatalities.

Another public commenter described the violent death of her son Joshua and criticized officials she named in testimony, saying sanctuary policies "invite the criminal element" and asking why such policies protect people from the consequences of breaking laws. Speakers across the three testimonies frequently urged ICE and Border Patrol to intervene and called on lawmakers to remove protections they say allow repeat offenders to remain in the United States.

Speakers cited several statistics and claims during their remarks, attributing them to studies or local estimates: that unlicensed drivers have "five times higher risk" of involvement in fatal crashes; that Colorado's uninsured-driver rate is "between 17 and 20 percent"; and that "about 25 percent" of uninsured Colorado drivers are "light unlicensed illegal aliens." One speaker also said, "Entering the United States illegally is considered a criminal offense under federal law" and asserted "100% of illegal aliens are criminals." The witnesses presented these as assertions and personal conclusions; the committee record does not include verification or rebuttal of those specific numbers during the public-comment period.

No formal motion or vote related to the comments was recorded during the public-comment portion of the session. The witnesses' testimony primarily asked lawmakers to consider changes to enforcement, deportation, and local sanctuary practices to prevent similar tragedies.

The public comments combined personal accounts of loss with broad policy claims. Lawmakers on the committee did not issue a response recorded in the provided transcript text, and no legislative outcomes or formal actions were recorded in these segments.