DENVER –More than half of Colorado’s 64 sheriffs have confirmed to the ACLU of Colorado that they no longer detain people past their release at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The ACLU has advocated to sheriffs since April that they act without legal authority, and face legal liability, if they rely on detainer requests from ICE as a basis to hold prisoners who would otherwise be released.

Last week, following a $30k settlement between Arapahoe County and an ACLU client who was held for three days on an ICE detainer, the ACLU of Colorado wrote the remaining sheriffs who had not yet confirmed that they had changed their prior policies regarding the holds.  More than half have thus far stopped honoring ICE’s detainer requests.

“When ICE asks a sheriff to hold a prisoner, the agency is essentially asking the sheriff to make a new arrest.  We’ve explained to the sheriffs that Colorado law does not provide them authority to make that arrest,” said Mark Silverstein, Legal Director for the ACLU of Colorado.

Arapahoe County agreed on June 18th to pay $30,000 to Claudia Valdez, a woman who called for help in 2012 following a domestic violence incident, was arrested herself, and held for three days in the Arapahoe County Jail even after a judge had ordered her release, due to a detainer request from ICE.

“Ms. Valdez’s experience underscores the damage to public safety and community trust that results when witnesses and victims of crime are made to fear rather than trust their local law enforcement,” said ACLU of Colorado Staff Attorney Rebecca Wallace.

In its latest letter, the ACLU of Colorado asked sheriffs who had not yet responded to provide their current policies regarding ICE detainer requests by Thursday, July 3.

“The progress so far has been encouraging, but if any Colorado sheriffs continue to deny people liberty on the basis of ICE detainers, they are going to hear from the ACLU,” added Silverstein.

For a map showing which Colorado counties have stopped honoring ICE detainers, visit https://aclu-co.org/blog/map-ice-detainers/

Additional resources:

• Read the ACLU letter sent to all Colorado sheriffs in April
• Read Claudia’s Story: How a Domestic Violence Victim’s Call for Help Resulted in Three Days in Jail and Deportation Proceedings
• Read the draft complaint sent to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office prior to settlement negotiations: 

Employers Allowed to Use Religious Beliefs to Refuse to Comply With Law Requiring Contraception Coverage

June 30, 2014

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in favor of closely-held corporations that sought an exemption to a federal law requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception. The owners of the plaintiff companies – Hobby Lobby, an Oklahoma-based craft supply store chain, and Conestoga Wood Specialties, a Pennsylvania furniture company – cited religious objections to contraception as a reason not to comply with the law.

The American Civil Liberties Union, religious organizations, other civil rights and women’s health groups, business leaders, and members of Congress filed friend-of-the-court briefs arguing that the companies’ owners cannot impose their personal religious beliefs on employees to withhold coverage for health services with which they disagree.

"This is a deeply troubling decision. For the first time, the highest court in the country has said that business owners can use their religious beliefs to deny their employees a benefit that they are guaranteed by law," said Louise Melling, deputy legal director of the ACLU. "Religious freedom is a fundamental right, but that freedom does not include the right to impose beliefs on others. In its ruling today, the Court simply got it wrong."

More information about these cases can be found at: aclu.org/reproductive-freedom/challenges-federal-contraceptive-coverage-rule

LGBT Coloradans and their allies will hold post-decision rally at 7 p.m. tonight at the Greek Theater in downtown Denver’s Civic Center Park 

June 25, 2014
DENVER – Today, the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals made history as the highest court in the nation so far to affirm the freedom to marry -- striking down the unconstitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples in Utah. Why Marriage Matters Colorado, the broad coalition working to secure the freedom to marry for all committed couples in the Centennial State, lauded this decision as an important step forward for marriage equality in Colorado and nationally.
In response to this decision, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Coloradans and their allies will be holding a community rally tonight at 7 p.m. at the Greek Theater in Civic Center Park, located at 100 W. 14th Ave Pkwy in downtown Denver. The event, which is being organized by Why Marriage Matters Colorado, will feature a number of community leaders and is open to the public.

"Today's decision is a victory not only for the courageous couples who brought this case forward in Utah, but for everyone who cares about protecting and supporting families," said Dave Montez, Executive Director of One Colorado, one of the lead organizations of Why Marriage Matters Colorado, along with ACLU of Colorado and Freedom to Marry. "Following today's historic ruling, there can be no doubt that our own state's ban on marriage for same-sex couples violates the basic principles of fairness and equality that Coloradans hold dear."
"Thousands of committed couples in Colorado are eagerly waiting for the opportunity to be married," said Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, Executive Director of ACLU of Colorado. "While today’s ruling does not provide that immediate freedom, it does send a clear message that our state’s ban harms families and should not stand. Poll after poll has shown the majority of Americans support the freedom to marry, and support is increasing across the board, even among Republicans and in the West and in the South. 61 percent of Coloradans now support allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. It's time -- Colorado is ready, and America is ready, for full marriage equality."
Why Marriage Matters Colorado is broadening the dialogue with Coloradans about why marriage is important to same-sex couples and their families and why it is consistent with the values of liberty and freedom. More information on this statewide initiative – which is being spearheaded by leading statewide LGBT advocacy group One Colorado, ACLU of Colorado, and Freedom to Marry – can be found here: www.whymarriagematterscolorado.org