The City Council in Aurora passed a resolution Monday night declaring that Colorado’s third-largest city is not a so-called sanctuary city, a label it has been given along with Denver for what is perceived as an overly tolerant treatment by city officials and police of people living in the country illegally.
“Aurora intends to continue to comply with all constitutional and lawful federal immigration laws and regulations and will continue its practice of non-obstruction with regard to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s efforts to enforce federal immigration laws and regulations,” the resolution reads.
The resolution, which passed on a 6-4 vote, also said Aurora “values its immigrant communities and takes seriously the public safety and constitutional rights of all of its residents.”
One in five people living in Aurora is foreign-born, and several recent urging the city to embrace sanctuary policies.
But city officials have expressed concern about from jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Aurora’s resolution made clear that the city does not meet the definition of sanctuary city as laid out in the administration’s late January executive order on the topic.
