Scoop: Boulder County agencies balk at immigration record requests
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No Boulder County agencies released documents in response to a Republican-led House committee inquiry.
State of play: Wednesday marked the deadline for the Boulder County District Attorney's Office, sheriff's office, and Boulder Police Department to respond to a series of record requests from the House Judiciary Committee.
- The committee said it was "conducting oversight of state and local jurisdictions that endanger American communities through their refusal to cooperate with federal immigration officials."
The big picture: The back-and-forth highlights growing tension between federal immigration priorities, state and municipal laws that limit how local agencies can participate in immigration enforcement.
The latest: Boulder County DA Michael Dougherty wrote to the committee questioning the legality of the inquiry and cited inaccuracies in its letter.
- The letter, obtained by Axios Boulder, said many requests could not be fulfilled because Boulder County keeps email communications for only one year.
- Some of the data the committee wants simply isn't tracked by the DA's office.
Yes, but: Dougherty said that while he believes the House Judiciary Committee had no legal standing to make the requests, his office has "nothing to hide."
- He added that his office would fulfill the requests if the committee extended its deadline and paid for staff time.
Meanwhile, a letter from Boulder police Chief Stephen Redfearn also obtained by Axios Boulder said the department would seek legal counsel before responding further.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office told Axios on Thursday that Sheriff Curtis Johnson also did not release any records, but sent a letter outlining state and federal laws.
Between the lines: All three Boulder County agencies noted that most of what the House committee described as "sanctuary policies" are state laws.
Zoom out: Similar letters were sent to Denver, Philadelphia and Arlington, Virginia — other cities the Trump administration has targeted for refusing to cooperate with ICE.
What we're watching: How the House Judiciary Committee responds after all three agencies failed to meet its deadline.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a response from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.