City Cast Denver Why Is Governor Polis Sharing Information With ICE?
A senior state employee filed a lawsuit last week alleging that Governor Jared Polis has violated state law by cooperating with a subpoena for information from ICE. Anti-ICE protesters have been marching in Denver’s streets all week and Polis was already in hot water with Democrats after he set his personal record for vetoing bills, so why would he do this now? David Seligman is a candidate for state attorney general and the executive director of Towards Justice, a non-profit law firm that just joined the lawsuit against Polis, and he’s on with host Bree Davies to break down the case and try to imagine what the governor is thinking.
After we recorded this conversation, we heard back from Governor Polis’s spokesperson. She send us the following statement:
“The Governor is committed to preventing the illegal exploitation and trafficking of children. This lawsuit is unfortunately delaying an investigation focused on looking into child exploitation and trafficking. The decision to respond to this federal subpoena to support the investigation into crimes against vulnerable minors was carefully considered in accordance with Colorado law, which allows for sharing information to support timely criminal investigations. Keeping kids safe is a top priority, child exploitation is a deeply concerning issue, and has no place in our state. Complying with this federal subpoena meets the requirements laid out in state law and providing this information is in service of investigating and preventing criminal activity, which Governor Polis is deeply committed to.”
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