How a Colorado lawmaker is pushing for stronger regulations on how ICE agents operate

Scenes of ICE agents on the streets of Minneapolis have dominated headlines and news footage in recent weeks.  

Those images also raise concerns about immigration enforcement in Colorado. The state saw a surge in arrests since President Trump took office a year ago – and some people are worried that what happened in Minneapolis might play out here.   

Today, we talk with an elected official who’s working to place stronger restrictions on how ICE operates in Colorado and nationally.  Democratic Congressman Joe Neguse, and other lawmakers, are working to negotiate new rules for ICE agents.  

Rep. Neguse is also the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security about guaranteeing members of Congress access to ICE detention centers. He and Rep. Jason Crow made an unannounced visit to the ICE detention facility in Aurora on Thursday – a day after he spoke with Erin O’Toole about some of the reforms he’s pursuing.  (The introduction to this episode was updated after it was initially published to add a mention of that visit.) 

This conversation was part of a longer interview with Neguse. On Thursday, he spoke about efforts to prevent the dismantling of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. Listen to that interview here. 

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.