Action, not just words

To state the obvious, the recent surge of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States has triggered an emergency at our Southern border, a crisis of monumental proportions exacerbated by the Biden administration’s policies. Some stats:

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered a record-breaking 269,735 illegal aliens along the southwest border in September 2023 (source: Judiciary.house.gov).
• Illegal border crossings have averaged 2 million per year since 2021, the highest level ever, with broad public disapproval of the handling of this issue (source: Washington Post).
• The number of illegal immigrants in the country has roughly doubled under President Biden, with approximately 10.2 million illegal immigrants in the United States (source: The Hill).
• The Biden administration has admitted more than 1 million migrants who are in the U.S. illegally or facing deportation, according to internal federal figures (source: CBS News).

We watch what is essentially an invasion on the southern border and then we see the impacts here at home. We see Denver overrun with illegal immigrants; tapping their system of resources and revenue. Weld County citizens don’t want to see that here. So they rightly interact with the Weld Board of County Commissioners.

Then in early March, 2024, a Fox News report about a Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) web page listing Weld County as a “sanctuary county” broke. Problem is, that is simply untrue. I am unsure what metric they are using to make that assessment. I would like to know. I contacted CIS on multiple occasions and have not received a returned call/email.

My guess: It likely has to do with HB19-1124, which technically makes every county in Colorado a “sanctuary county.” The law forbids local law enforcement in Colorado from cooperating with ICE.

Citizens rightly came forward wanting answers. They wanted to ensure that Weld County is not a Sanctuary County. I can assure you – we’re not. No action taken by any Weld Board of County Commissioners has ever declared Weld a sanctuary county. However, we live in a time when people understandably don’t trust institutions or their government.

Fueled by a commissioner who was hoping to seize a political opportunity, calls for a “Not a Sanctuary County” resolution arose. While I understand the sentiment, it goes against my principles of a “small, limited government acting solely within the authority granted to it by its citizens and fulfilling only its proper role.”

First, the resolution is the County’s primary instrument of action. The resolution offered by this opportunist commissioner took no action. We do not have the authority to act on a federal issue – the southern border.

This didn’t seem to matter to the opportunist commissioner – they used the do-nothing resolution as an opportunity to divide the Weld Board of County Commissioners, gain political favor, and fund raise. Meanwhile, the very resolution offered by this commissioner presented no solutions. Just opportunities for political aggrandizing.

Second, it seems absurd to me to pass a do-nothing resolution to affirm something we are not. I will say it again: Weld County is not a sanctuary county. Are we going to have to pass resolutions to affirm everything else we are not? We are not in Kansas. Do I need to pass a resolution? Weld county does not have oceanfront property. Do I need to resolve that? To me, it was absurd and made no sense.

Regardless, I understood the sentiment of those asking for some sort of affirmation that the Weld BOCC would not allow what was happening in Denver with illegal immigrants to happen in Weld County. So, along with Commissioner Kevin Ross, we asked our county attorney and department heads from our Department of Human Services, Department of Public Health and Environment, and Finance Department to work with citizens and find an actual meaningful way we could not only offer a sound gesture to our constituents, but also to codify the fact that we will not expend general fund dollars in the shelter, transport, and aid of those in this nation illegally.

I want to applaud the efforts of Natalee Tennant and Bob Leisy, Weld County citizens and active members of the Colorado Chapter of Never Surrender. Ms. Tennant and Mr. Leisy have respectfully and persistently worked with members of the Weld BOCC and Weld County staff to find a meaningful action (not just an instrument of political posture) for the citizens of Weld County.

On Monday, April 29, 2024, the Weld Board of county Commissioners will consider on First Reading Code Ordinance 2024-04, an ordinance that will affirm that Weld is not a sanctuary county and, most importantly, put in to Weld County Code language that forbids this or any future Weld Board of County Commissioners from expending specified funds on the sheltering or aiding of illegal aliens.

Yes, the action is embedded in Chapter 5 Finance. That may not seem overly glamorous.

But it’s code. It takes action. It has teeth. It’s not just political posture and bloviation. It weaves into the very fabric of Weld County ordinance the fact that we will not aid those who choose to enter this country against our laws. It is sound policy that I applaud our citizens and staff for working with Commissioner Ross and me in developing. I will be honored to support it when it begins the three reading process on April 29.

Here’s a copy of that Code Ordinance: