Fed-up Denver suburbs are looking to sue their big sanctuary city neighbor and the state government after suffering strained budgets and crime after 42,000 migrants flocked to Colorado — bringing the violent gang Tren de Aragua with them.
Most recently, the council for the city of Castle Rock – just south of Denver – unanimously voted to research legal options against its largest neighbor, CBS News Colorado reported.
The vote came amid a wave of other suburbs that have voted to sue, or to look into suing over the migrant crisis in Colorado.
The goal: reverse policies and laws that made Denver a haven for the tens of thousands of illegal migrant — most of them from Venezuela.
Law enforcement officials in the suburb of Aurora and others areas outside of Denver are also warning that Tren de Aragua, the brutal Venezuelan prison gang, followed the migrants into Colorado.
The gang members have since spread out across the state — taking over apartment complexes, dealing drugs and robbing jewelry stores.
“This isn’t just a decision that Denver gets to make because,” Castle Rock Town Councilmember Max Brooks told CBS Colorado. “The idea is to join with other municipalities and say it’s time to stop.”
Another Denver suburb, Parker, is also exploring legal action, CBS reported, as well as the city of Aurora — which has gained national attention for its problems with the gang.
Meanwhile, Douglas County, where Castle Rock is located, has joined a group of six Colorado counties suing the state and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis over laws they claim limit their ability to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Last month, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reported the arrest of 11 alleged car thieves, including three Venezuelan nationals and one Columbian national.
“It is happening; we are having issues here in Douglas County. You know, we are having migrants come in here; there have been instances of crime,” Brooks told CBS.
The lawsuit against the state challenges two laws: one that stops law enforcement from detaining a person based on their immigration status, and another that prevents counties from allowing ICE to use their jails.
