The affluent region of Boulder, Colorado has declared itself a “sanctuary city,” to shield illegal immigrants from federal agents ahead of President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Boulder city council members said their effort to reaffirm their sanctuary status was intended to reassure illegal immigrants in the area that they would be protected, according to the Daily Camera.
“We are sending a message of reassurance to people,” said Boulder Mayor Suzanne Jones.
Boulder is so persistent on shielding illegal immigrants from the law that it has configured exactly how the City would operate, should a President Trump cut federal funding for noncompliance.
“Over the years, we’ve certainly had to deal with dips of that kind,” Executive Budget Officer Peggy Bunzli told the Daily Camera.
The Camera reported that the move by Boulder officials was done to give the appearance that the region is “defying Trump” on his immigration plans, where he is expected to crack-down on sanctuary cities and illegal hiring of foreign workers.
Under the Boulder’s city council sanctuary policy, officials are prohibited from cooperating with federal immigration officials and local law enforcement is not allowed to hold suspects solely based on their immigration status.
Similar policies have led to administrative chaos in other regions of the county.
In Philadelphia last year, a Dominican national accused of child rape was freed by local law enforcement officials because they refused to hold him in detention until federal immigration authorities could take the case over, Breitbart Texas reported.
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.