Pueblo County commissioners say county is not a 'sanctuary jurisdiction' after federal list controversy
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Summary
During commissioner comments the board addressed a federal list of "sanctuary jurisdictions," stating Pueblo County and the City of Pueblo are not sanctuary jurisdictions and reaffirming cooperation with law enforcement; commissioners also offered condolences after a deadly incident in Boulder and observed Pride Month.
PUEBLO, Colo. ' In commissioner comments on June 5, members of the Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners addressed a recently published federal list that labeled jurisdictions as "sanctuary" and asserted Pueblo County is not a sanctuary jurisdiction.
One commissioner said an executive order that directed creation of the federal list had drawn confusion and pushback and that Pueblo County and the state of Colorado briefly appeared on the list. "I don't think anybody up here would define Pueblo County as a sanctuary jurisdiction. I know the sheriff certainly wouldn't define Pueblo County as a sanctuary jurisdiction," the commissioner said, emphasizing that the sheriff "does everything in his power to cooperate with federal immigration agencies" and follows state law.
The commissioner said the list had since been removed amid questions over criteria and enforcement and urged caution before adopting a resolution to appease federal officials when it is unclear what the federal standard requires. "We're kinda just trying to hit a moving target," the speaker said.
Separately, commissioners offered condolences and prayers for victims of a mass-casualty shooting in Boulder and reaffirmed county support for residents. Commissioners also marked Pride Month: "Happy Pride Month to all of the folks in my life, my friends, my family, the folks that work for this organization that, identify as part of the LGBTQ community," one commissioner said.
No formal county action or resolution on immigration policy was proposed during the meeting; the remarks appeared in the commissioners' comments section and were presented as the board's positions and observations rather than a binding policy change.