Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said the city is willing to work with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement when it comes to violent criminals.
Johnston told FOX31 Denver, the city will also notify ICE of a pending release if the federal agency requests that notification.
"The whole state is bound by our state law in this, which is … we don't honor ICE detainers," Johnston said. "If ICE calls and says, 'Will you hold someone for three more days?' That doesn't happen in Douglas County or Yuma or in Denver. We're not having our local police doing federal law enforcement, that's not our job, we're not going to do ICE's job for them. But if they call for information on folks we have in custody, we'll let them know when we're releasing them."
Johnston told the outlet that Denver will protect schools, hospitals, and churches. He said Denver's values are not going to change under President Donald Trump.
"We want to be both a welcoming city and a city that serves all of our residents," Johnston said. "We're not going to be bullied or blackmailed into changing our policies, but we think our policies serve everyone well right now. We don't ask your status if we stop you for running a red light, but also, if we have someone in custody that ICE is looking for, they could reach out to us, and we can release them to them when they get released from our jails," Johnston said.
There have been no major reports of any ICE raids in the Denver area in 2025, FOX31 reported.
Johnston previously said the city won't be bullied into sanctuary policies and has suggested preventing ICE from entering the city for the purpose of deporting illegal migrants.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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