This page is information, not legal advice. Colorado has passed significant state-level protections limiting local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. Those laws are currently in effect and were upheld in federal court in March 2026. County-level variation exists. Verify current conditions with a licensed immigration attorney or the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition before relying on anything here.
Colorado has built a layered set of state-level protections for immigrant communities over several years, with the most recent expansion signed into law in May 2025. The state prohibits local law enforcement from detaining people solely on civil ICE detainer requests, restricts the sharing of personal information with federal immigration authorities without a warrant, and bars local governments from entering into immigration detention agreements with ICE. These laws have been challenged by the federal government and defended in court. On March 31, 2026, a federal district court dismissed the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Colorado and Denver, holding that the Constitution does not permit Congress to compel states to implement federal regulatory programs, and that Colorado's decision not to participate in federal immigration enforcement is constitutionally protected.
Colorado's laws are in effect and have been upheld. But ICE operates independently in Colorado and does not need the cooperation or permission of the state to conduct enforcement. Targeted arrests have occurred in Denver, Aurora, and communities across the state. And some Colorado counties have taken a more cooperative posture with ICE than the state laws require or than the state's Democratic leadership prefers. Understanding what Colorado law covers, where it leaves gaps, and where county variation exists is the foundation for protecting your family here.
Part 1: Your rights under federal law - everywhere, including Colorado
These rights come from the U.S. Constitution and apply in Colorado regardless of immigration status, citizenship, or how you entered the country.
At your front door
The Fourth Amendment protects your home from government entry without your consent or a judicial warrant. Two very different documents may come to your door.
A judicial warrant is signed by a federal judge, based on probable cause, and authorizes entry to a specific address. If ICE presents a valid judicial warrant with your correct address and a judge's signature, officers have legal authority to enter. Ask to see it through a closed door or window before opening.
An administrative warrant, typically ICE Form I-200 or I-205, is signed by an immigration officer, not a judge. An administrative warrant does not authorize ICE to enter your home without your consent. You do not have to open the door. Ask through the door which type of warrant they have. If it is administrative, you are not required to let them in.
There is ongoing litigation about whether an I-205 related to a prior removal order authorizes forced entry. Federal courts have generally rejected that argument as of mid-2026, but the law continues to develop. The consistent advice from immigration attorneys: ask which warrant is at the door, and do not open it for an administrative warrant.
During a traffic stop or street encounter
You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, your immigration history, or your status. You can say you are exercising your right to remain silent and that you want to speak to a lawyer. You can ask whether you are free to go. If the officer says yes, you may calmly leave.
Do not lie and do not provide false documents. Silence is a legal right. False statements to a law enforcement officer are a separate crime. Many families carry a printed card asserting the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney, which can be handed to an officer instead of speaking.
At your workplace
ICE may enter public areas of a workplace without a warrant. Private, non-public areas generally require a judicial warrant or employer consent. You have the right to remain silent regardless of where a law enforcement encounter occurs.
Do not sign anything without a lawyer
Documents presented during an ICE arrest may include voluntary departure agreements or stipulated removal orders that waive your right to a hearing before an immigration judge. These waivers are very difficult to undo. Do not sign anything without speaking to an attorney first, no matter what you are told about speed or resolution.
Part 2: Colorado's state-level protections - the law as it stands
Colorado has passed three major laws restricting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, along with a significant expansion signed in 2025. All of these laws were challenged by the DOJ in 2025 and upheld by a federal district court on March 31, 2026.
HB 19-1124: No arrest on civil detainer alone
House Bill 19-1124, passed in 2019, is the foundation of Colorado's protection. It prohibits law enforcement officers from arresting or detaining any individual solely on the basis of a civil ICE detainer request. Under Colorado law, a civil immigration detainer is not a legal basis for continued detention. If a person would otherwise be released from custody, they must be released. Colorado law enforcement may cooperate with ICE when executing a warrant signed by a federal judge, but cannot hold someone beyond their release date simply because ICE has asked them to.
HB 19-1124 also established that continuing to detain a person past their release date based solely on an ICE civil detainer request constitutes a new, warrantless arrest, which is a constitutional violation. This framing has legal significance: it means local agencies that honor civil detainers without a judicial warrant may expose themselves to legal liability under Colorado law.
SB 21-131: Restricting personal information sharing
Senate Bill 21-131, passed in 2021, restricted the sharing of personal identifying information by state agencies with federal immigration authorities. Under this law, state agencies cannot voluntarily provide information about a person's immigration or citizenship status, or other personal identifying information, to ICE or CBP without a valid warrant or court order.
HB 23-1100: No immigration detention agreements
House Bill 23-1100, passed in 2023, prohibits state and local governments from entering into or renewing agreements with the federal government to detain immigrants in county jails for civil immigration purposes. This law forced ICE to consolidate its Colorado detention operations at a private facility in Aurora rather than using county jails across the state. The Aurora ICE Processing Center, run by the GEO Group, is where most ICE detainees in Colorado are held.
SB 25-276: The 2025 expansion
Senate Bill 25-276, signed by Governor Polis in May 2025, expanded the protections of the prior three laws in several important ways. It extended the data-sharing ban to cover local governments as well as state agencies, and added the judicial and legislative branches of state government to the restriction. Schools, hospitals, and child care centers are now explicitly prohibited from providing ICE access to private spaces or information about enrolled children or patients without a judicial warrant.
SB 276 also reinforces the civil detainer prohibition: jails and law enforcement officers cannot delay a defendant's release at the request of federal immigration officials. It also grants the Governor authority to deny other states' National Guard or military personnel access to Colorado for the purpose of carrying out federal immigration enforcement. And it removed the requirement that undocumented students seeking in-state tuition or a state ID submit an affidavit stating they have applied or plan to apply for lawful status.
The DOJ lawsuit: filed, contested, and dismissed
On May 2, 2025, the Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Colorado and the City of Denver, challenging HB 19-1124, SB 21-131, HB 23-1100, and Denver's local policies as unconstitutional and preempted by federal law. The DOJ amended its complaint in July 2025 to also challenge SB 276. On March 31, 2026, the federal district court granted Colorado's and Denver's motions to dismiss on all counts. The court held that the Constitution does not permit Congress to compel states to implement federal regulatory programs, and that Colorado's decision not to participate in federal immigration enforcement is a constitutionally protected exercise of state authority. Colorado's laws are in effect and have been upheld.
Part 3: County variation - where Colorado's protection is stronger or weaker
Colorado's state laws set a floor that applies everywhere in the state. No county can lawfully detain someone on a civil ICE detainer alone, and no county can enter a new ICE detention agreement. But within that framework, county-level attitudes and practices vary, and some counties have strained against state law.
Teller County: active 287(g) agreement
Teller County, west of Colorado Springs, is one of the few Colorado counties with an active 287(g) agreement with ICE. Under Sheriff Jason Mikesell, Teller County deputies are deputized to perform certain immigration enforcement functions for people already in the county jail. Mikesell has been publicly critical of Colorado's state laws and has described his jail intake process as including questions about birthplace, residence history, and identification that he cross-checks with federal immigration databases. However, even Teller County deputies with 287(g) authority are limited to people already in custody and cannot conduct civil immigration arrests in the community outside of the jail.
El Paso County: pursuing 287(g) enrollment
El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs, was in the process of training to enter a 287(g) program as of mid-2026. If that enrollment is completed, El Paso County jail staff would have similar authority to Teller County within the jail setting.
Douglas County: wants to cooperate, limited by state law
Douglas County, south of Denver, has been among the most vocal critics of Colorado's immigration laws. The county's commissioners and sheriff have publicly stated they want to work more closely with ICE. The DOJ's 2025 lawsuit specifically cited Douglas County as an example of a jurisdiction that state law impedes from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. State law applies to Douglas County the same as everywhere else in Colorado, and the county cannot lawfully hold someone on a civil detainer alone. But the county's attitude toward enforcement is more cooperative than Denver or Boulder, and the relationship with federal authorities is more openly maintained.
Western Slope counties
Several more conservative Western Slope counties, including Garfield, Moffat, and Mesa counties, have passed resolutions declaring themselves non-sanctuary jurisdictions and signaling willingness to work with federal immigration officials. These resolutions are political statements. Colorado state law applies regardless of county resolutions. However, county-level attitudes toward enforcement affect how aggressively local officials will respond to community concerns and how much informal cooperation occurs at the edges of what state law permits.
Denver and the Front Range
Denver Police do not detain people for ICE and do not support non-criminal immigration enforcement. Denver notifies ICE of release timing for people in its custody, which is permitted under state law, but does not extend detention. Mayor Johnston has maintained that Denver cooperates with ICE on violent criminals within state and federal legal constraints, but does not conduct immigration enforcement as a local function. Boulder County and other Front Range jurisdictions with progressive local governance operate similarly.
Part 4: ICE enforcement in Colorado - what has happened
Even with Colorado's protections in place, ICE has conducted enforcement operations across the state. In February 2025, a raid at Cedar Run Apartments in Denver drew national attention and was conducted without prior notice to Denver police or city authorities. Operations have also occurred in Aurora, Adams County, Colorado Springs, and in resort and agricultural communities on the Western Slope where immigrant workers make up a significant portion of the workforce.
A Mesa County sheriff's deputy was the subject of a complaint in July 2025 for cooperating with federal immigration enforcement in ways that raised questions under state law. That incident was cited by the DOJ in its amended complaint against Colorado, illustrating how the federal government was trying to use individual county cooperation to argue that state law was an obstacle to the willing participants. The court ultimately rejected that argument.
The Aurora ICE Processing Center remains the state's primary detention facility. People arrested by ICE in Colorado are typically transported to Aurora. Bond hearings and immigration proceedings occur in Denver, which is more accessible than in states where detainees are transported out of state.
Part 5: What to do right now, before anything happens
Know your A-number and make sure trusted family members have it written down. It is on any prior immigration document. It is how the family locates someone in the ICE Online Detainee Locator after an arrest.
Know which county you live in and what the local enforcement posture is. In Denver and Boulder County, local police will not assist ICE on civil immigration matters. In Teller County or El Paso County, the jail has or is acquiring 287(g) authority. If you are arrested and booked in a county with an active agreement, the jail process itself carries more risk.
Identify an immigration attorney or legal aid organization before you need one. Colorado's immigrant community is served by the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) and by immigration legal service providers in Denver and other Front Range cities. Having a number saved before a crisis means you are not searching during one.
Prepare guardianship documents for any children in your household. Colorado's protections reduce the risk that a traffic stop leads to detention, but a targeted arrest at home can still happen. Having a documented standby guardian arrangement in place protects children from being placed in state care.
Set up a financial power of attorney so a trusted person can manage your accounts and property if you are detained.
Part 6: Legal help and resources in Colorado
The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) is the statewide organization advocating for immigrant communities and coordinates know-your-rights education, community response, and connections to legal services. Their website at coloradoimmigrant.org is the best starting point for current enforcement information and local resources.
Voces Unidas de las Montanas is a community organization serving rural and Western Slope immigrant communities, particularly in Garfield County and resort communities, where the workforce is heavily immigrant. They are active in education about SB 276 and community rights.
The ACLU of Colorado has been actively engaged on immigration enforcement litigation and know-your-rights resources. Their website is acluofco.org.
Colorado Legal Services provides free legal help to low-income Coloradans including immigration matters. The University of Denver Sturm College of Law operates immigration clinics. Catholic Charities of Denver and of the Archdiocese of Denver provide immigration legal services.
Immigration Advocates Network maintains a directory of nonprofit legal organizations serving Colorado at immigrationadvocates.org. For immigration court case information, call the EOIR automated line at 1-800-898-7180. To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov, or call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024. The Aurora ICE Processing Center is the primary detention facility in Colorado.
Colorado's laws protecting immigrant communities have been tested in federal court and have held. The state's prohibition on civil detainer holds, the data-sharing restrictions, and the bar on new detention agreements are all constitutional and in effect. County variation means that where you are in Colorado matters, and some counties are more cooperative with federal enforcement than others. ICE continues to operate independently throughout the state. The legal infrastructure Colorado has built is real and it narrows the risks that come from routine contact with local law enforcement. Understanding what that infrastructure covers and what it does not is the foundation for protecting your family here.
This page reflects laws and enforcement conditions as of mid-2026. Colorado's state protections are in effect and were upheld by a federal district court on March 31, 2026. County 287(g) agreements and enforcement patterns may change. Verify current conditions with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, the ACLU of Colorado, or a licensed immigration attorney before relying on anything here.