House GOP seeks Boulder immigration records
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Heather Diehl/Getty Images
A Republican-led House committee is seeking records from Boulder law enforcement officials about their immigration policies.
Why it matters: The requests are part of a broader congressional push targeting "sanctuary cities" that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The latest: The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday sent letters to Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty and Boulder police Chief Stephen Redfearn.
- The committee said it is "conducting oversight of state and local jurisdictions that endanger American communities through their refusal to cooperate with federal immigration officials."
What's inside: While the letters sought different records from each agency, all accused local officials of failing to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- The letter to Boulder police focused on the department's 2025 decision to cut off federal access to data from its Flock surveillance cameras.
- The letter to Dougherty accused the DA's Office of giving "preferential treatment to aliens" and requested records tied to several "Know Your Rights" meetings about protesting ICE and immigrants' legal rights.
- The letter to Johnson accused the Boulder County Sheriff's Office of failing to honor ICE detainers.
Zoom out: Denver officials also received similar correspondence, along with officials in Philadelphia and Arlington, Virginia.
Context: Colorado law prohibits law enforcement agencies from holding undocumented immigrants solely on the basis of ICE detainers.
- The Boulder County DA's Office says it will move court dates if there are concerns that immigration officials could use the information to locate someone.
- The Boulder County Jail also has a policy against proactively notifying federal agencies about inmates' immigration status.
What they're saying: Dougherty called the inquiry "political theater."
- "If Washington politicians are serious about immigration enforcement and public safety, they should focus on fixing the broken federal system instead of attacking Colorado prosecutors who are doing the real work of protecting communities," he said in his statement.
- Redfearn and Johnson have not publicly responded.
What's next: All three agencies face a June 3 deadline to comply with the records requests.